Cards' Martinez (shoulder) exits after 7 pitches

The Cardinals have already clinched a postseason spot, but they’ve yet to clinch the NL Central, and they want to get through the rest of the regular season healthy as well. The NL Central title should come soon enough. The healthy part? Maybe not.

Right-hander Carlos Martinez left Friday night’s start against the Brewers (GameTracker) after only seven pitches. He threw a pitch, grimaced in pain, the trainer looked at him, and he walked off the field. Martinez was pretty emotional as he walked off.

Here is the video of the play. The Cardinals have since announced Martinez left the game with right shoulder tightness. He will be reevaluated Saturday. Needless to say, it can be pretty scary any time the shoulder is involved.

It’s worth noting Martinez came into Friday having thrown 179 1/3 innings this season, way more than his previous career high of 116, set last year. The Cardinals had him skip some starts in recent weeks to lighten his workload. Did the big jump in innings lead to Friday’s injury? It’s possible, but we can’t say for sure.

Martinez, 24, is 14-7 with a 3.01 ERA (131 ERA+) this season, his first as a full-time member of the rotation. He figured to not only be part of their postseason rotation, but was a possible candidate to start Game 1 of the NLDS.

Carlos Martinez left Friday’s start with a shoulder injury. (MLB.com screen grab)

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