Cardinals' Carlos Martinez: Fires five shutout frames Wednesday

Martinez (2-0) fired five scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-1 Grapefruit League win over the Nationals, giving up three hits and recording three strikeouts.

Analysis:

Fresh off being named the Opening Day starter, Martinez looked every bit the part against a Nationals lineup replete with regulars. Martinez regularly hit 96 mph with his fastball while his changeup was consistently in the mid-80s. The hard-throwing righty also broke three bats and fired 42 of his 66 pitches for strikes. Martinez is slated for one more tune-up before taking the mound on April 2 versus the Cubs.