The Cubs’ early-season pitching chaos opened a door for Corbin Martin, but it closed fast.
Chicago designated the right-handed reliever for assignment after he couldn’t record an out against the Cincinnati Reds. With the Cubs holding a 4-2 lead, Craig Counsell turned to Martin for the save, only to watch him surrender a home run to the first batter he faced and then give up two more hits before being lifted. Hoby Milner was charged with the blown save, but Martin’s outing had already turned the night into a mess.
Martin had signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in the offseason and came into spring training fighting for a place in the Opening Day bullpen. He didn’t make the club out of camp, but injuries in April pushed him from Triple-A into the majors.
At first, he looked like he might stick. He posted four straight scoreless appearances to start his Cubs run, and one of those outings came with a save against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The strike zone disappeared after that. His rough stretch began against the San Diego Padres last week, when he walked three straight batters before Ben Brown had to clean it up.
In his next appearance, he gave up a home run in mop-up duty against the Arizona Diamondbacks. By the end of his time with the Cubs, Martin had gone from a useful stopgap to an arm the team no longer had room for.
There was a broader picture, too. The Cubs have been trying to piece together a staff around injuries in both the rotation and bullpen, and while Counsell and the coaching staff had managed that problem well, Martin’s collapse finally pushed them to move on.
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