Martinez, Storm surge to Cal League Finals
Adrian Martinez pitched well in the one regular-season start he made in the California League as Lake Elsinore hunted for a playoff spot. On an even more dramatic stage on Saturday, he was better than ever.The right-hander dealt five scoreless frames of one-hit ball in his postseason debut to pilot
The right-hander dealt five scoreless frames of one-hit ball in his postseason debut to pilot the Storm to an 11-2 win over Rancho Cucamonga at LoanMart Field and a berth in the Championship Series. He walked one and struck out six as Lake Elsinore took the best-of-5 semifinal series in four games.
"His performance was phenomenal. ... He had nerves of steel," Storm manager Tony Tarasco said. "He executed. He had a good, heavy fastball tonight, but his equalizer was that changeup, which is one of his better pitches."
In his Cal League debut on Aug. 30, Martinez gave up one run on six hits across six innings, striking out seven. That was a big spot, too, as the Storm were battling for the South Division second-half crown.
"So far, he's come up and pitched two very big, important games for us," Tarasco said. "That's extremely impressive, and I'm very humbled by the opportunity to be a part of watching him grow."
Gameday box score
"Every single one of our games against the Dodgers is a grinder," he said. "You never know what could happen. I think the night before proved that."
In the top of the fifth, though, No. 14 Padres prospect
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Marcano finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Like Martinez, he hasn't been with Lake Elsinore long. He was promoted from Class A Fort Wayne just for the postseason.
"To be a part of high-leverage, high-pressure situations and be able to perform, I'm sure it's going to wonders for his confidence," he said. "He's just ... another player in this bottomless well of talent that we have here in the Padres organization."
The Storm will face Visalia in the best-of-5 Finals beginning Tuesday in Lake Elsinore.
Jordan Wolf is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @byjordanwolf.