Martinez was credited with his third hold in an extra-inning win over the Cubs on Thursday but allowed three earned runs on three hits and a walk over one-third of an inning while also recording one strikeout.
The normally reliable closer didn't have it Thursday, a rare occurrence during what has been a largely stellar stretch of high-leverage work for Martinez. Asked to slam the door in the bottom of the ninth with the Cardinals holding a 4-1 advantage, Martinez got himself into immediate trouble by issuing a leadoff walk to Nicholas Castellanos and a subsequent single to Kris Bryant. A Kyle Schwarber strikeout later, Ben Zobrist laced an RBI double and Willson Contreras immediately followed with a run-scoring single. The multi-run outing was the first on Martinez's ledger since Aug. 18 and also snapped the 11-appearance scoreless streak he'd forged since that outing.