Terry Francona was impressed by this former Reds pitcher's start with the Rays.
The Cincinnati Reds lost to the Tampa Bay Rays by a final score of 6-1 on Wednesday. The Reds have played well in recent action, and the offense has performed especially well. However, the Rays shut them down on Wednesday to avoid a series sweep. Nick Martinez, who spent 2024 and 2025 with the Reds, started the game for the Rays and he turned in a tremendous performance.
The veteran right-handed hurler turned in eight innings of one-run baseball while striking out six hitters. He allowed just five hits and one walk as well. After the ball game, Reds manager Terry Francona gave Martinez a shoutout, via Charlie Clifford.
"All the things I said about him last year, I would say the exact same thing just it wasn't for us, it was against us," Francona said of Martinez. "That's what he can do. He threw strikes... He changed speeds. He pitched."
Martinez spent time as both a starter and a reliever with Cincinnati. In 2024, he pitched to a 3.10 ERA across 42 total outings and 16 starts. The 2025 campaign saw Martinez record a 4.45 ERA in 40 games pitched and 26 starts.
He is finding success with the Rays so far during the 2026 season. The 35-year-old now holds a 2.10 ERA in five starts. He looks like one of the better pitchers in baseball right now.
Rays Defeat Reds on Wednesday
The Reds' five-game winning streak came to an end in Wednesday's defeat. The offense had been performing well, but Martinez found an answer for them without question.
Cincinnati recorded only five total hits in the entire game. No player on the Reds had a multi-hit performance. Spencer Steer had the only extra-base hit for the Reds, as he hit a double.
Brandon Williamson got the start for the Reds. The southpaw struggled across 4.1 innings of work, as he surrendered five earned runs while striking out three and walking three. The bullpen only gave up one run following Williamson's departure from the contest, but the lineup's lack of run support never gave the team a realistic chance in this contest.
Nevertheless, the Reds are still playing well overall. At 16-9 overall, they should still have momentum moving forward. Cincinnati will host the Detroit Tigers this weekend in a three-game series. The ball club is hoping to jump back into the win column as soon as possible.
The first game is scheduled for Friday night at 6:40 PM EST in Cincinnati.