Martinez hit by pitch, exits in D-backs debut

X-rays negative; Right fielder is day to day

July 19th, 2017

CINCINNATI -- J.D. Martinez's D-backs debut didn't last long. The right fielder, who joined the team Wednesday after getting traded from the Tigers a day prior, exited Wednesday's 11-inning, 4-3 loss to the Reds in the fourth with a left hand contusion after getting hit by a pitch. X-rays were negative, and he is day to day.
In his second at-bat, Martinez tried to swing at a 1-2 fastball from Cincinnati starter , but the ball hit him as he swung, with Martinez also striking out.
"It's kind of just one of those things where I was going to check, but then it was coming at me and I didn't know what to do," Martinez said. "I kind of spazzed out in a sense, and just, you know, 'Get away from me.'
Martinez lobbied to stay in, but manager Torey Lovullo played it safe. Martinez went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts, as he also whiffed on three pitches in the second.

"I saw a couple of things that told me that it was probably best to take him out of the game and get him evaluated," Lovullo said. "I've just probably learned that over time. There's a bruise that was already forming. It just made a lot of sense to get him out of there."
Prior to the game, Martinez discussed how he had trouble grasping the suddenness of getting traded.
"Right now, it's kind of still foreign to me," Martinez said. "I'm looking around, looking at these colors, and I was just like, 'This doesn't feel right,' you know? So it's definitely going to take a couple of days."
Wednesday's incident marked new territory for him, too.
"It's never happened for me before ever, for me at least," Martinez said. "Never got hit by a pitch on my hand. ... There's a first time for everything, right?"

Before the game, Lovullo admitted he had to go over his lineup card a few times to make sure he spelled Martinez's name right when penciling it in for the first time. The decision to put him in the No. 5 spot was a much easier task.
Lovullo had been considering switching around the top of his lineup for a while, and the addition of Martinez -- who hit .305 with 16 home runs and 39 RBIs in 57 games with the Tigers this season -- helped confirm the decision.
"I was looking, mechanically, to change some of the parts to maximize some scoring opportunities, and have the right guys in the right situations," Lovullo said. "Does it change things a tremendous amount? I don't know. I think when you look at on-base percentage and guys leading off innings and run-producing moments, I thought that, mechanically, this would maximize a couple of moments in a couple of different ways."
It's unclear whether Martinez will play in Thursday's series finale, but Lovullo is glad the injury won't keep Martinez from taking advantage of those opportunities for long.
"Personally, I took a deep breath and thought, 'Hopefully this will work out as good as it could possibly work out and it's bruised,'" Lovullo said. "I was trying to remain as positive as possible, but it was something I was thinking about for a couple of innings until I got word. We were all excited to get J.D. here, and it just didn't seem like it was the right thing to happen at this time. We're all thankful it worked out."