Martinez fired three scoreless innings in a Grapefruit League loss to the Mets on Tuesday, allowing two hits and two walks while regarding three strikeouts.
The right-hander's strong effort validated the confident tone he'd sounded after a disastrous spring debut against the Astros on Thursday. Martinez stretched out to 53 pitches in Tuesday's start, throwing 33 for strikes to stay in the thick of the race for the No. 5 job in the starting rotation.