Martinez ready to put difficult spring stats behind him

ST. LOUIS -- Nick Martinez did a lot of things well this spring, quickly developing a relationship with manager Kevin Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder and immediately establishing himself as a popular, highly respected teammate.

But his performance in four Spring Training starts was not good, and he was pushed back two spots in the season-opening rotation to treat a minor hamstring injury that made fielding his position a challenge.

On Monday night, the veteran starter will get his first chance to put both concerns to rest as he makes his Rays debut against the Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

“First one's always exciting. I've been through enough springs where, you know, you'd like to have good results, but at the end of the day, it's about being physically ready, mentally ready,” Martinez said Sunday morning at Busch Stadium. “I feel like I'm there, and it's exciting to get the first one going.”

Grapefruit League statistics are generally not worth the time it takes to look them up, but they paint a picture of how Martinez’s first spring with the Rays went. He gave up 22 runs on 29 hits, including five homers, in 13 2/3 innings over four outings. He walked six and struck out seven. Most of that damage came in his last two starts against the Braves and Blue Jays, when he allowed 18 runs on 22 hits over 7 2/3 innings.

Cause for concern? Not really.

“I think he's going to be totally fine,” Cash said. “It's easy to flush Spring Training performances when you're an established Major League player -- not as easy if you're a guy that is on the fringe of making the club or doesn't have a ton of reps in the big leagues. But Nick, he's been great.”

Martinez, making a team-high $13 million this season as part of the contract he signed last month, has plenty of experience to lean on. Over the past four seasons since his return from a stint in Japan, the 35-year-old has produced a 3.67 ERA and 1.19 WHIP while pitching 524 2/3 innings over 192 appearances.

It’s the kind of track record that affords a pitcher the opportunity to experiment during Spring Training, when the results don’t matter for someone who has a spot in the rotation already secured. Martinez said he was working on “different sequences or pitch selection” during those outings, but now he’s shifting into a more competitive mindset.

“A lot of this spring was me trying new things that they were recommending, and a lot of it was, yeah, trying to feel out,” he said. “The focus was more of, you know, 'Let's try this. Let's try that.' Obviously, now, with games, the mindset is competing and switching that mentality a little bit.”

As for the hamstring issue that prompted the Rays to shuffle their rotation, bumping Martinez back to Monday (which had been the injured Ryan Pepiot’s spot) and slotting Joe Boyle second, Martinez said it’s no longer a problem.

Martinez said it was not actually an issue when he was pitching, but it did affect his ability to cover first base and field his position.

“When that decision was made, I could still feel it. Wasn't confident in being able to cover first,” he said. “That last spring outing, I, 100 percent, couldn't cover first. … At the time of the decision, definitely smart to give myself an extra two days. I feel great right now. I don't feel it at all, so I'm confident going into this game.”

Around the horn

• Outfielder Jake Fraley was scratched from Sunday’s lineup due to soreness in his right shoulder, which he banged up while trying to make a play in right field during Saturday’s game. Jonny DeLuca was inserted into the lineup, and Cedric Mullins moved up in the order to bat third.

“Think he’s going to be OK, but came in a little bit more sore than he anticipated,” Cash said.

• Cash had a bunch of good things to say about Carson Williams, who had a two-run single during the Rays’ ninth-inning comeback on Saturday afternoon then scored the tying run from first base on a single by Nick Fortes. The rookie also made a handful of excellent plays at shortstop, showing the aggressive approach and sped-up timing that he learned to adopt after his debut late last season.

“He put on a clinic,” Cash said. “Those were really difficult plays that he made look pretty easy.”