LOS ANGELES -- His scoreless inning streak having just ended at 21 2/3 after a bases-loaded walk to Joc Pederson, Carlos Martinez stood on the precipice of an unraveling in Friday's second inning at Dodger Stadium.
He had walked two in the inning, allowed a pair of hits and was now being visited by pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, who packed a bunch into his brief visit. The message was about focus, conviction and the lesson impressed upon Martinez repeatedly this year -- that harder isn't necessarily better.
Two pitches later, Martinez was headed for the dugout, an inning-ending double play preventing the early deficit from swelling any further.