Shairon Martis made another start for the Nationals on Saturday against the Cardinals and might have secured his spot in the rotation for good. The 22-year-old right-hander went the distance, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out six to win his third game of the year and to lead his club to a 6-1 victory over the current team with the best record in the National League. The only blemish was a solo homerun by Colby Rasmus in the seventh. Martis threw 110 pitches, a whopping 79 of them for strikes, moving his record to 3-0 with an ERA of 4.60. He now was on the mound for half of all Washington’s wins so far.
Jair Jurrjens also started on Saturday, but couldn’t stay on the mound for long. He allowed a solo homerun by Lance Berkman and three singles in two innings, striking out none. The game was stopped midway through the second frame, as rain caused a lengthy delay. When the match resumed Buddy Carlyle replaced Jurrjens on the mound for precautionary reasons. The right-hander got a no decision, as Atlanta lost to the Houston Astros 1-5.