Davis Martin has been far and away the best starting pitcher on the Chicago White Sox this year, but a concerning trend has reared its ugly head once again on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
Martin entered Tuesday’s start against the New York Yankees looking to become the first pitcher in the American League to reach 10 wins this season. In his last ten starts, he had gone six plus innings while allowing one earned run or fewer in seven of them.
But that dominant stretch came to an abrupt end Tuesday, when Martin allowed a season-high nine runs in a 12-2 loss at Yankee Stadium, causing his ERA to balloon from 2.41 to 3.31.
While Martin received little help from his defense, including a mental mistake by rookie Jacob Gonzalez that extended the second inning, the right-hander also lacked his usual command in and around the strike zone.
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Martin threw just 51 of his 88 pitches for strikes, a 58% strike rate, well below the major league average of roughly 62%. The lack of command led to three walks, only the second time in 14 starts he has issued more than two free passes, and repeatedly put him behind in counts, allowing Yankees hitters to tee off and collect eight hits, the second most Martin has surrendered in a start this season.
While it’s easy to say “just flush it” and chalk Tuesday up as an outlier, Martin’s uneven road results have mirrored a broader trend within the White Sox rotation this season.
Martin has been noticeably better pitching at Rate Field, despite it being considered a hitter-friendly ballpark. Across six home starts, he is 5-0 with a 1.01 ERA across 35 2/3 innings while posting a 0.95 WHIP and a 40-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
However, in his eight road starts, he owns a 5.09 ERA in 46 innings, with a 1.37 WHIP and a 43-to-13 strikeout to-walk ratio.
Before surrendering nine runs to the Yankees, Martin’s previous two road starts had already shown signs of trouble. He allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field and four runs in 5 2/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
His rough outing against Minnesota came with a caveat. It was his second straight start against the Twins, giving hitters another look at his pitch mix and approach. But his start in San Francisco was more notable, as it marked the first time all season he had allowed more than three runs in an outing.
Martin’s home-road split is not unique within the White Sox rotation. Anthony Kay has struggled away from Rate Field, posting a 6.04 ERA on the road compared with a 3.08 ERA at home. Erick Fedde has seen a similar divide, turning in a 3.29 ERA on the South Side versus a 6.18 mark in road starts.
The lone exception in the White Sox rotation has been Sean Burke, who has pitched better on the road with a 3.60 ERA compared with a 4.44 mark at home.
Those home-road disparities within the rotation have been a significant factor in the White Sox uneven results, with the club posting a 14-21 record away from Chicago compared with a 24-12 mark at home.
One start will not define Martin’s season. The 29-year-old has already shown he can bounce back from a rough outing when he threw six scoreless innings against a vaunted Atlanta Braves lineup after he got roughed up by the Twins at Target Field.
But the road splits will be something to monitor in the coming weeks, especially from their ace, as Chris Getz in the front office, decides how to attack the trade deadline. The White Sox have a clear need for some additional pitching depth, but true contenders need to be able to find ways to win away from home.
Chicago, which is among just seven MLB teams with fewer than 15 road wins this season, will need that trend to shift if they want to remain atop the AL Central standings.
