The larger White Sox implications of Davis Martin getting rocked by Yankees

The White Sox began a road trip Tuesday evening looking to ride the momentum from back-to-back series wins against the Braves and Dodgers. They turned to right-hander Davis Martin, unquestionably their best starting pitcher in the early season, on Tuesday night. Needless to say, it didn’t go well. Martin exited the game in the fourth inning having allowed nine earned runs, raising his season ERA to 3.31 in one start. So how concerned should White Sox fans be about Martin’s rough outings? 

Martin entered Tuesday’s outing as the unquestioned leader of the White Sox pitching staff. Not only is he the longest-tenured player on the roster, but his play on the field was speaking for itself. Martin led the White Sox with 2.8 fWAR and a 2.41 ERA in his first 13 starts of the season. After his rough outing, his ERA spiked by almost a full run and his fWAR dropped to 2.4. Not all of it was Martin’s fault. The Yankees big third inning was fueled by a check swing double on which left-fielder Sam Antonacci made an excellent throw to second base, but Chase Meidroth couldn’t get the tag down. The next batter hit a routine ground ball to second base, but Jacob Gonzalez appeared to suffer a mental lapse and didn’t cover first base. The inning spiraled from there as Martin struggled to find the plate and allowed multiple home runs. Home runs are not an issue that Martin has dealt with much this season. He’d allowed just three all year prior to Tuesday night, and his season total has now doubled. 

The White Sox need to hope Martin's rough patch doesn't become a trend

Every pitcher has rough outings. Even the best pitchers in baseball occasionally have a night where they don’t have a great feel for their pitches and they get hit around. Davis Martin is certainly no exception. But for Martin, this is now two rough outings in his last three starts, and he’s allowed at least four earned runs in three of his last five starts. He’s been sandwiching good outings between the bad ones for the past few weeks, but he’s getting hit around quite a bit more than he did early in the season. There wasn’t a significant uptick in Martin’s stuff and most of his success could be traced to simply out-guessing the hitters, so it’s possible that he’s just been figured out. On the other hand, Martin’s FIP is still 2.90, implying there’s been a bit of bad luck involved in his recent struggles. 

The reality is, Martin probably isn’t an ace. Whether you want to hear it or not, his incredible start was not sustainable and he was due for some regression. Regression doesn’t mean he’s going to be bad, however. Instead of a 1.80 ERA ace, perhaps Martin is more of a 3.50 ERA inning-eater. That’s not going to win him any awards, but it’s certainly enough for him to have a role on this team moving forward. 

Martin’s next start is scheduled for Sunday in Detroit. Along with virtually the entire White Sox pitching staff, Martin has been significantly better at home than on the road. He’ll look to get back on track against a Tigers team that’s struggled offensively this season. 

For White Sox fans, it may be too early to sound the alarm on Martin, but his next few starts are worth keeping a close eye on. If Martin continues to struggle, Chris Getz may need to step up and make a move for pitching even sooner than he thought.

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