Chicago White Sox right-hander Davis Martin said he felt he “was kind of getting in front of my skis a little bit” amid extended struggles.
Martin knows the best version of himself is the one who harnesses his focus to halt hitters. That remains his aim Wednesday night as American League Central-leading Chicago continues a home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“Every day has its own little wins, and I need to make sure I’m checking the box,” Martin said. “And if I do that during the week, day five is going to take care of itself.”
Actually, Wednesday will mark seven days since Martin (9-6, 4.13 ERA) took his most recent turn in the rotation. He stymied the Astros for 5 2/3 scoreless innings at Houston on Sept. 2 in his return from the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger. The White Sox lost 2-0.
Chicago (75-69) adjusted the start to allow more time for Martin to rest and put him in line to pitch the opener of a key American League Central series in Cleveland next week.
The Guardians pulled within two games of the division lead on Tuesday, earning a 9-5 win at Baltimore while the Pirates pounded the White Sox 9-3. It would be a good day for Martin to get his first win since June 10, when he stood 9-2 with a 2.41 ERA.
Martin has never faced Pittsburgh, which entered the series opener with only three runs in its past three games but stormed to five first-inning runs. Seven Pirates had multiple hits in the game. Oneil Cruz and Rafael Flores both went 3-for-5 to pace an 18-hit effort that included six doubles.
“I mean, just stay confident,” Flores said. “We’re in the big leagues for a reason; we’re all really good hitters. We’ve just got to keep staying confident and just keep going.”
The Pirates (72-73) have won seven of their past nine games as they stay afloat in the race for the third NL wild card. They enter play Wednesday 5 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, who occupy the spot.
Flores Jr. paced the Pirates with six total bases on Tuesday, including a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Kyle Teel, his catching counterpart for Chicago, also hit a solo homer. Teel has gone deep in consecutive games and has three hits in 12 at-bats since rejoining the team this month after spraining his left ankle on July 21.
“Just making small adjustments every day and putting work in with the hitting coaches,” Teel said. “I feel like the big thing this week was just figuring out my routine. I feel like just because I’ve been playing, then not playing, I haven’t really had a set routine that I do every day.
“And I’m starting to lock that in, so that feels good.”
A victory would give the Pirates their fifth consecutive series win. While duplicating Tuesday’s start can’t happen every game, manager Don Kelly said good habits still carry over.
“I thought we had a really good approach … especially early on,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “I think that when we’re rolling like that, and you see the confidence that breeds throughout the lineup, I thought it was really good.”
Pittsburgh will opt for a bullpen game against Martin. Right-hander Lake Bachar (1-3, 3.59 ERA) will serve as the opener for the Pirates in his third straight start.
Bachar contributed 2 1/3 scoreless innings against San Francisco on Thursday while scattering two walks, one hit batter and three strikeouts. He delivered three innings of one-run relief against the White Sox while pitching for the Miami Marlins in his team’s 9-4 loss on March 30.
–Field Level Media
