Martínez has 'great experience' facing Trout, Ohtani

ANAHEIM -- As a rookie pitcher learning the ropes, there are lessons to be taken from every start. For A’s right-hander Adrian Martinez, Wednesday night at Angel Stadium was a master class in how elite hitters can adjust to him -- and how he can adjust right back.

Facing Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and the Angels for the first time, Martínez was charged with three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of Oakland’s 4-1 loss. Regardless of the pitching line, Martínez appreciated the opportunity to go up against one of baseball’s most fearsome duos in the two MVPs, calling it "a great experience."

"I think overall, Adrián’s night was positive," manager Mark Kotsay said. "This lineup’s a tough lineup and he came out attacking."

There were some welcome signs of improvement for the 25-year-old Martínez, who’d struggled with his command over his last few outings. On Wednesday, he got off to a strong and efficient start, allowing just one baserunner through his first three innings of work. He also gained the ability to add “struck out Mike Trout” to his resume, setting the 10-time All-Star down swinging for the second out of the first.

Things got away from Martínez the second time through, though, as the Angels tagged him for three runs on three hits in the fourth inning. Trout won Round 2 by crushing a 2-1 changeup over the center-field wall, while Ohtani -- who’d grounded out in the first -- followed up with a base hit to right.

Those pitches to Trout and Ohtani, both changeups, weren’t poorly located. The hits were more the result of good hitters hitting good pitches.

"They're great batters, and I was working them really great in the first inning," Martínez said through team interpreter Melisa Bivian. "But then when the fourth inning came, they knew where my changeup was going. They had a great sense of direction with my breaking ball as well."

Martínez was given the opportunity to go back out for the fifth, which meant a chance to take on Trout for a third time. Martínez made the necessary adjustments with his pitch mix, avoiding the changeup entirely and ultimately getting Trout to strike out looking at a sinker on the outside corner.

"Just like batters, us pitchers have to continue to work and continue to improve and just continue to work differently," said Martínez.

Although Martínez would have liked the opportunity for another shot at Ohtani to make it through five, Kotsay opted to play matchups and bring in left-hander Sam Selman, who got Ohtani to fly out.

"[Martínez] did his job," said Kotsay. "He gave us an opportunity to win."

It’s been an up-and-down season for Martínez, who began his MLB career with a scoreless spot start in the second game of a doubleheader in Detroit on May 10. He was a bit shakier when he returned to the Majors on June 30, allowing 14 earned runs in 14 innings over his next three starts before turning things around with a three-start stretch that saw him allow just three earned runs across 15 2/3 innings.

In the three starts that followed that, however, Martínez gave up 16 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings. Kotsay attributed much of those troubles to mechanical inconsistencies.

"I think he understands that he needs to locate his fastball better," said Kotsay. "He needs to stay in line with his mechanics better to get himself an opportunity to throw strikes where he needs to throw them to enable him to have success."

Any rookie season, of course, is going to have its highs and lows. There may even be benefits to going through rough stretches early in one’s career.

“I don't want to say [Martínez is] right where he needs to be, but we've got a lot of young pitching right now, and they're learning from their experiences out there," said Kotsay. So going through it is going to get them better."

While the performance itself won’t go down as one of Martínez’s best, Wednesday is a night that will stick with him for other reasons. A native of Mexicali, Baja California, this was Martínez’s first time pitching in Southern California as a Major Leaguer, and he did so with several friends and family members watching him challenge the Angels' superstar sluggers throughout the night.