ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nick Martinez is doing all he can to prove that he'll be a rotation option for the Texas Rangers in 2015.
And if his September starts are any indication, he'll be a very viable one.
Martinez pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings Tuesday in a 2-1 Texas victory over Houston, the 10th win in the last 11 games for the Rangers.
Martinez (5-11) didn't walk a batter for the first time as a starter and allowed just five hits. He lowered his September ERA to 2.22 by throwing 65 of his 101 pitches for strikes and he's pitched at least six innings in three of his last four starts.
"I feel pretty good about it," said Martinez, who got a boost after a talk with Greg Maddux during the Rangers' last series in Anaheim. "I was commanding my fastball. I had a real good feel for my changeup. I was focusing on getting strike one. Strike two came and after that I was going after them."
Martinez got all the support he'd need on a Robinson Chirinos solo homer in the fourth. The Rangers also got an RBI single from Daniel Robertson in the fourth to give Martinez all the run support he'd need.
"I liked his fastball," interim manager Tim Bogar said. "He was aggressive. He was ahead of guys all night. I thought this could have been his best performance in that I like how he handled himself on the mound. Early in the season you could see him let the game speed up on him. Tonight he didn't let that happen. It just shows his maturity."
