Martinez scattered two hits and struck out six over four scoreless innings of relief in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to the Phillies.
The 31-year-old lost his spot in the rotation after Blake Snell returned from a groin injury, but Martinez turned in his best performance of the season in his first relief stint. MacKenzie Gore is also in a similar situation, but if Martinez continues to excel as a long man it might actually hurt his chances of regaining a starting role should one open up, if the Padres decide they don't want to mess with a good thing. On the season, he sports a 3.89 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 36:15 K:BB through 34.2 innings.