Davis Martin turns in another sharp performance for the Chicago White Sox

CHICAGO (AP) — Davis Martin was so good Saturday night that manager Will Venable felt it was a typical performance for the right-hander.

That’s the type of season Martin is having.

Martin struck out seven in six sparkling innings, leading the Chicago White Sox to an 8-3 victory over the crosstown Cubs at Rate Field. He allowed five hits and walked none.

“Davis was great. Similar to what we’ve seen in the past,” Venable said. “Really nice job with the slider tonight, protected it with the sinker. Was able to keep them off balance.”

Martin improved to 6-1 with a 1.61 ERA. He has 59 strikeouts and 10 walks in 56 innings.

The 29-year-old Martin has yielded one run in fewer in each of his last six outings. He is the first White Sox pitcher to six wins in his first nine starts of a season since Lance Lynn in 2021.

Martin said he enjoyed the charged atmosphere in his first career appearance against Cubs.

“Knew it was going to be a challenge, and so it was a lot of fun just going out there and competing,” he said.

Martin retired his first nine batters. He got some help in the third when center fielder Tristan Peters made a diving catch on Matt Shaw’s sinking liner for the first out of the inning.

The Cubs got their first baserunner in the fourth when Nico Hoerner hit a grounder up the middle for a leadoff single. Facing runners on the corners, Martin struck out Ian Happ looking and got Seiya Suzuki to bounce into an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

Martin surrendered a leadoff homer to Miguel Amaya in the sixth. The Cubs put runners on second and third with one out, but Martin escaped the jam by striking out Happ and Suzuki.

Looking at his rising pitch count and the situation in the game, Martin knew Happ and Suzuki were his last two batters.

“Emptying the tank, trying to execute pitches at a high level,” Martin said. “There’s no more just trying to force contact so you can go deeper into the game. You’re looking for a swing and miss. You’re trying to get out of that inning.”

Martin is the team’s longest tenured player. He was selected in the 14th round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Texas Tech University. He made his big league debut with the White Sox in 2022.

He had some promising moments last year, going 7-10 with a 4.10 ERA in 25 starts and one relief appearance.

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