Texas Rangers June 13 Week in Review: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Jun 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nick  Martinez (22) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

1. Nick Martinez

Speaking of the draft, Nick Martinez was drafted in the 18th round (564th overall) by the Rangers in 2011 but has been the most successful of all starters this season. Last week, Nick Martinez took home the number 1 spot on the Not list to which I predicted that he would bounce back and make the Hot list this week. He did just that, pitching six shutout, one-hit innings in the only Rangers win over the Athletics.

With the bullpen struggling, the Rangers have asked a lot from this starting rotation and they have responded well. In June, they have a 2.32 ERA and a 4-2 record in 10 games. They are averaging 6.6 innings per start, well above the 5.76 innings/start they averaged in May when they had a 4.07 ERA. For the season, the starters have moved up to eight in the MLB with a team 3.85 ERA.

For the season, Martinez improved to a 5-2 record with a 2.65 ERA in 71.1 innings. He has continued to be an important piece of this rotation and with the future returns of Matt Harrison and Martin Perez, Martinez has pitched well enough to hold down his spot in the rotation. Martinez will face off against Phil Hughes in the final game of the series against the twins tomorrow at 2:05 PM CT.