Texas Rangers: Can Nick Martinez Be Reliable in The Rotation?

It’s been an epic last couple of weeks for the Texas Rangers. They now enter Friday’s game against Oakland just one game out of the American League Wild Card. The team pulled Tyson Ross out of the rotation, but can Nick Martinez be a reliable option?

After going 3-3 with a 7.04 ERA the Texas Rangers have decided to move Tyson Ross to the bullpen. He’s been struggling heavily in the rotation, and having less of a workload could help Ross regain some confidence.

Now that Ross is heading to the bullpen the team has decided to give Nick Martinez a shot in the rotation. This season Martinez is 3-4 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 games (13 starts) with Texas. He’s allowed 20 home runs in just 80.1 innings pitched.

The good news for the Rangers is that Martinez is 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in six games (four starts) at Oakland. According to Jane Lee and Ryan Posner, Martinez has held batters to a .198 average at the Coliseum.

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The numbers aren’t pretty for Martinez this season, but this could be just a one and done start. The Rangers do have September call ups soon and will have multiple options they can plug into the rotation.

It’s hard to imagine Martinez magically turning into a reliable starter all of a sudden. Through parts of four seasons with Texas, Martinez is posting a 4.64 ERA in 81 games (63 starts) and has allowed 62 home runs.

Luckily for the Rangers they will face off against Kendall Graveman on Friday. This season Graveman is 3-4 with a 4.54 ERA in 12 starts with Oakland. He’s been excellent his last two starts, but has a 5.20 ERA in his career against Texas.

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It looks like it could be a slug fest in Oakland on Friday. The Rangers are giving Martinez a shot, and if he pitches well then he could see another chance. It’s likely Texas takes this one start at a time with Martinez.

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