ST. LOUIS _ After throwing six scoreless innings but getting no help from his teammates, Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez decided to take care of matters himself.
Martinez hit his first major-league home run, a ball that carried into the left-center field bleachers to put the Cardinals ahead as they went on to a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium.
"That was great timing, obviously," manager Mike Matheny said. "He's the guy who a lot of time is leading a lot of the stuff that happens after home runs, so I'm sure (his teammates) were ready to reciprocate."
Indeed, it was Dexter Fowler who took over the honor of splashing water in the home run hitter's face, something Martinez usually takes care of.
Fowler followed the next inning with a two-run homer, his fourth of the season and 100th of his career, to give Martinez and the Cardinals some breathing room, which it turned out they needed.
Martinez (3-1) threw 71/3 innings, allowing five hits and striking out five. (He also didn't hit anyone with a pitch after hitting three in his previous start.) He came out with one out in the eighth after reaching the 99-pitch mark. He left with a runner on second, who came around to score against reliever Dominic Leone, who allowed another run and had the tying run on first. He's allowed three runs in his past 40 innings for a 0.68 ERA.
What was working for Martinez? "Everything," Matheny said. "That was probably as good a mix of his stuff as I've ever seen. He found that sweet spot for movement. I saw him reach back a number of times to elevate the four-seamer. The change-up was a wipeout pitch. I saw him pitching in really well on the first-base side. The breaking ball he could throw behind in the count. You couldn't ask for more than he had today."
Bud Norris came in with two outs to get out of the inning, striking out Nicky Delmonico looking to end the inning, and then pitching a scoreless ninth for his sixth save.
The Cardinals had just two baserunners and one hit through 52/3 innings against Lucas Giolito, who had faced the minimum number of batters thanks to a double play in the first and Yadier Molina being caught stealing in the second. With two outs, Martinez, who came into the game hitting .167, hit the first pitch he saw and sent it 407 feet. He circled the bases at almost a walking pace. "I think it showed he was going to relish it," Matheny said. "Make it last. It didn't bother me."
That seemed to throw Giolito off as he walked the next two batters he faced, before retiring Jose Martinez to get out of the inning.
Carlos Martinez had runners get on in the first and second inning but got out of it and then retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced.
Fowler was 0 for his previous 14 at-bats before he homered off Giolito and had one hit in his previous 23 at-bats. He's the third Cardinal in the past week to hit his 100th career homer. Jedd Gyorko did it on April 25 against the Mets and Matt Carpenter did it Tuesday night.
