Martin makes adjustment in his delivery
Garrett Stubbs is unsure whether to tell the story, but here goes.
There was a dugout distraction on Mother’s Day in Round Rock. While they took on the Nashville Sounds, the Class AAA Express kept an iPhone nearby, occasionally huddling to watch Corbin Martin make his major league debut.
“We had one of our guys go up to the big leagues,” Stubbs said Monday, “and it was cool to be able to watch a few pitches here and there.”
Stubbs will see more than a few Tuesday. The rookie is scheduled to make his first major league start, catching a familiar face from Class AAA seeking to regain the form from that dazzling debut. Since striking out nine Rangers in 5⅓ innings May 12, Martin’s command has dissipated. He’s lasted 7⅓ innings in his last two starts, walking five and striking out three.
Command of his off-speed pitches was nonexistent in a four-inning outing against the Red Sox on May 18.
Martin missed arm-side with his four-seam fastball against the White Sox on May 23, when he collected 10 outs. After both starts, the righthander lamented a mechanical flaw — flying open in his delivery.
Martin’s legs were moving faster than his hands, allowing his right arm to trail and create the erratic arsenal. He got seven swings and misses in those two starts combined. The Rangers whiffed nine times in Martin’s debut.
“My front leg was moving so quick out of the windup that it was causing problems with my hands being late,” Martin said Monday. “That’s my biggest key point is my hands. I knew what I was doing wrong — on the mound I knew what I was doing wrong — but at that moment, it’s not the time to think about it.”
To remedy the problem, Martin will move his hands. Against the White Sox, he came set with both hands at the belt to correct what went wrong against the Red Sox. Tuesday, look for Martin to move his hands back to his chest — the usual way for most of his pro career.
“I think I just had to go back to being simple,” Martin said. “I was speeding myself up delivery-wise. The slower I go in my delivery, it’s easier and it helps me to keep going towards the plate instead of falling away from it.”
More rehab action needed for Altuve
After Jose Altuve played twice for Class AAA Round Rock during a rehab assignment this weekend, there is a chance the six-time All-Star second baseman will require a third minor league game, manager A.J. Hinch said Monday.
Altuve finished Sunday night’s game in Nashville 1-for-5 with a single, a run scored from second and two strikeouts. He started the first game of a doubleheader Monday — the resumption of a suspended game that was picked up in the third inning — and singled.
“He’s doing OK,” Hinch said. “I think he said he feels better, his confidence has grown that he can play with a little more freedom, but we’re going to need to see another full game out of him today for us to feel comfortable bringing him back at this level.”
Since he was placed on the injured list May 11 because of a hamstring injury, Altuve has missed 16 games. His absence is magnified by Aledmys Diaz’s aggravation of a left hamstring strain. Diaz went on the injured list before Monday’s game, joining Altuve and George Springer with hamstring problems.