Here’s a tip for White Sox right-hander Davis Martin’s start Thursday against the Reds: He’s 100% sure that he solved his tipping problem that the Red Sox exploited last week.
“It was actually a pretty easy one for me to fix, so I feel like we’re in a good spot,” Martin told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “I like where my stuff’s at; I like where everything’s at from a tipping standpoint.”
That would be a relief for the Sox, who have watched Martin fall from an 8-1 record and 2.00 ERA through 11 starts to 9-6 with a 4.17 ERA through 23.
Martin technically will pitch on three days of rest, but his start Sunday against the Guardians, his first since the tipping, lasted just one inning because of a rain delay. And it was another bad first inning for Martin. He allowed two runs, giving him 12 first-inning runs in his last three starts.
Is that his next problem to solve?
“I’ve had plenty of great first innings,” he said. “I think over the course of the year, you’re just going to come through these blips where you’re going to have these struggles. I lean on things that I’ve learned.”
One of those things came from former Sox starter Lance Lynn in 2022, Martin’s rookie season. Lynn, then in his 11th season, told Martin that the biggest problem of his career was pitching in the first inning. So he began pitching the first inning in the bullpen, essentially, ramping up before taking the mound.
“I tried to do that a little bit this last outing, and I feel like the [velocity], the stuff and everything was there,” Martin said. “Obviously, the results weren’t there, but I liked how I was moving, how my pitches were moving. I liked the aggressiveness with which I was throwing. From a process standpoint, it was very good.”
But like he said, the results not so much. Though one run was unearned, Martin allowed two hits and a walk, continuing his struggles.
Pitching coach Zach Bove doesn’t put too much stock in the first-inning woes. He has a different explanation for Martin’s issue.
“Real simply, it’s the fastball execution,” Bove said. “Maybe that was a pitch that took some innings to get in a good spot, the locations and stuff. So dialing in from Pitch 1, if the fastball execution’s in a good spot, that makes the whole arsenal play up and obviously increases the odds that that first inning is going to go well.”
As for starting Martin on “short” rest, Bove said it was better than starting a rookie or calling someone up.
“We had the option to push him back. It’s not like we were forced to do this,” Bove said. “Talking with him, what’s the best matchup for our team and where we’re at, we just felt like this was the best option.”
But it will be an adjustment for Martin, whom the Sox told during the rain delay Sunday that pitching Thursday was a possibility. So he turned the day into his first day after a start, when he does lower-body weightlifting.
“Just trying to accelerate that process during the rain delay,” Martin said. “So great conversation between us, and that allowed me to get some of my routine done and almost treat it like a heavier bullpen.”
Bove said Martin threw a side session Tuesday that was shorter than normal and had a light throwing day Wednesday. On Thursday, Martin will try to recapture his old form.
“You can look at the mechanics, you can look at the pitch design, all that stuff,” he said. “But for me, it’s just mental stuff, like being more relaxed, stop pressing, stop trying to do too much and just be myself.
“That’s where my biggest thing is. We’ve gone down the rabbit hole of everything else. Now it’s just, mechanically, we feel good, we like where our pitches are. Now it’s just go out and have fun and execute those at a high level.”