Rays Pitcher Turned in Start of the Season To Avoid Sweep by Reds
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On Wednesday afternoon, Tampa Bay Rays’ veteran starter Nick Martinez turned in his best outing of the 2026 season.
Facing the Cincinnati Reds, his former team that he spent the past two seasons with, Martinez hurled an eight-inning gem to lead the Rays to a 6-1 victory at Tropicana Field, helping them avoid a sweep.
The right-hander allowed one run on five hits across eight dominant innings, walking one and striking out six en route to his first win of the year.
He lowered his season ERA to 2.10. He threw first-pitch strikes to 23 of the 30 batters he faced, landing 71 of his 95 pitches for strikes.
Nick Martinez dominated the Reds
Perhaps more importantly, he helped preserve a bullpen in need of rest after short outings from Tampa Bay starters the previous two days. Steven Matz only went three innings on Tuesday, while Jesse Scholtens pitched five and two-thirds innings on Monday.
“I felt great,” Martinez said. “Big, big time to come through with eight [innings] given our bullpen has thrown the crap out of it for us the last week with no off days. That’s not something you really have on your mind, but I’ve got to be efficient, and got to attack the zone to give myself a chance. So that was obviously a focus.”
Going up against his former teammates added an extra layer of intensity—and fun—to the outing for Martinez.
“I love it, man,” Martinez said. “It’s a lot of fun. Obviously, they know what I do well, and they know I love to compete. A couple guys almost got me, and I let them know that I thought a few of those were getting out of the yard. So it’s always fun competing against your buddies.”
Martinez delivered his best start of the season so far and, arguably, the strongest outing by a Rays starter this season. It was the deepest a Tampa Bay starter has gone into a game since Shane Baz tossed eight scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals in June 2025.
Nick Martinez's outing today marked the eighth start in franchise history of 8.0 IP or more, 1 or 0 R, and 6 SO or more on 95 pitches or fewer, including the first since Drew Rasmussen on Aug. 14, 2022 vs. BAL (8.1 IP, 1 R, 7 SO, 87 pitches).
— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) April 22, 2026
Martinez (35 years, 260 days) is the… https://t.co/KjeX9ODqyt
Before Wednesday, no Rays starter had pitched into the seventh inning through the team’s first 23 games of the season, and Martinez not only reached that mark but completed eight innings.
Tampa Bay’s right fielder Ryan Vilade credited Martinez for leading the way in a much-needed bounce-back performance.
“I think that was huge, especially after the last two games — kind of tough games for us,“ Vilade said. ”But for him to come out and do what he did, not surprising. He’s been great for us. He’s one of our leaders, and he led [Wednesday].”
Martinez delivered a timely performance for the Rays, snapping a three-game skid and giving their taxed bullpen a break. The right-hander has impressed through the first month of the season, already proving to be a strong acquisition after signing a one-year, $13 million deal in February.
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