JUPITER, Fla. •Carlos Martinez hadn’t started for the Cardinals for three weeks because of his detour for the World Baseball Classic.
Before he left, Martinez threw three innings of one-hit shutout ball against the New York Mets. Upon his return, Martinez spun five innings of scoreless ball against Washington here on Wednesday, allowing just three hits as the Cardinals jumped to a 3-0 lead against St. Louisan Max Scherzer and successor Joe Nathan.
Martinez, who was named earlier in the day as the Cardinals’ Opening Night starter, fanned three and walked no one (he nicked Anthony Rendon twice) as he threw 42 strikes out of 66 pitches.