Martinez apologizes for Twitter distraction

JUPITER, Fla. -- Carlos Martinez issued a public apology on Wednesday for the distraction created when Deadspin pointed out the volume of inappropriate images that appeared on his Twitter account. He later added that the incident has prompted him to "take a break" from social media.

"I want to acknowledge fault for what happened," Martinez said, with Moises Rodriguez, the Cardinals' director of international operations, translating. "That was my responsibility. I want to apologize to the fans, the organization. I didn't mean to cause a distraction. Obviously, it's something that you don't want to go through, but I accept responsibility, and I'm ready to move on and focus on baseball."

Martinez met with manager Mike Matheny on Tuesday to discuss the incident, at which time Matheny reminded the 22-year-old right-hander to be aware that anything he posts or "favorites" on Twitter can be viewed by all. Martinez's account has been cleaned up to remove all of the inappropriate content.

"I want to move on," Martinez said. "I apologize, and I want to reiterate what I said in the beginning -- that I don't want to become a distraction by continuing to discuss it. I'm ready to play baseball and talk about baseball."