Cardinals' Carlos Martinez: Sputtering through May with fifth loss

Martinez (4-5) tossed five stressful innings in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs. He allowed six runs, six hits and three walks while striking out seven.

Analysis:

The Cubs sent 11 hitters to the plate in the second inning, forcing the struggling pitcher to throw 38-pitches to get through the frame. That set the tone early for what wound up being his most inefficient outing of the year. Since winning his first four starts of the season, the 24-year-old has now lost five straight while allowing four-plus runs in four of the five losses. Martinez posted a 1.93 ERA in April, allowing just six runs over 28 innings. So far, in 25 innings this month, the righty has given up 19 runs and holds a hideous 6.84 ERA. He'll look to get back on track Monday in his next start against the Brewers.