Martinez hit the first batter he faced, walked six others, and put the Cardinals in such a bind that a strikeout-riddled offense couldn’t recover in a 9-4 opening day loss Thursday to the New York Mets. The Cardinals have placed such faith in Martinez and his ability that manager Mike Matheny suggested the righthander should just “assume” he’d be the team’s opening day starter at Citi Field, and internally they have urged Martinez to ascend as the ace, in every facet of that word. None of those facets were at his fingertips until the fourth inning.
Molina set a club record with his 14th opening day start at catcher — the most consecutive at the same position in Cardinals’ history.