Nick Martinez Stumbles, Texas Rangers Routed 8-2

Texas Rangers 5th starter candidate Nick Martinez hit a roadblock, and the scorching Rangers’ offense was quieted by the White Sox Thursday afternoon.

The Texas Rangers were felled Thursday afternoon by the split-squad Chicago White Sox, by a final score of 8-2. The loss snaps a 3 game win streak for the Rangers and leaves their record at 6-2 on the spring. Nick Martinez got the starting nod for the second time this spring and got shelled early. Martinez yielded 5 runs in a first inning that was exacerbated by a sun ball that fell between Delino DeShields and Ian Desmond in left-center, and capped off by a 2-out 3 run shot by Jerry Sands. 

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Ultimately, Martinez was pulled with no outs in the 3rd inning, finishing the day with 7 runs allowed on 7 hits with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
Such an outing certainly puts a damper on Martinez’ hopes to capture the 5th starting spot this spring. In a wide open competition, with 8 competitors, Martinez will need to dust himself off quickly and get back on track.

Fellow 5th starter candidate A.J. Griffin also made an appearance, and hurled 2 innings of 1 run ball in relief, striking out 3 in the process.

Texas Rangers prospect Drew Robinson provided the offensive highlight of the day for the home team, smashing a solo shot to dead center field in the 5th. Ian Desmond, the only Ranger hitter to tally a multi-hit day, continued his solid start to the spring at the plate going 2-3.

Up Next

The Texas Rangers will pay a visit to Maryvale Baseball Park to take on the Brewers. Game action is set to get underway at 2:05 PM CST on Friday. 5th starter candidate Nick Tepesch will get the nod against former Ranger Matt Garza. Bullpen candidate Andrew Faulkner is also scheduled to pitch. Faulkner has 3 innings of scoreless baseball under his belt so far this spring. The game can be seen on MLB.TV and heard on MLB.com.

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