Carlos Martinez overcomes Giancarlo Stanton home run, lifts Cardinals over Marlins

MIAMI (AP) — Carlos Martinez shook off a slow start on the mound, and also a fastball that bruised his pitching arm and left him face down in the batter's box.

Martinez struck out nine in seven innings Tuesday to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 4-3.

The young right-hander trailed 3-0 after 1 1-3 innings before settling down. He retired the final seven batters he faced, including three after taking a 94-mph fastball in the shoulder while trying to bunt in the seventh.

"At that moment I thought, 'Oh my God, it's broken,'" said Martinez (8-3). "But a couple of minutes later I felt great and said I can go the next inning."

With family and friends from his native Dominican Republic in the crowd, including some who had never seen him pitch, Martinez was overthrowing early. He gave up a two-run homer in the first inning to major league home run and RBI leader Giancarlo Stanton, a shot estimated at 484 feet.

"Carlos had high energy, which we don't have a problem with," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "But he was having trouble separating that from how he was throwing. He was heaving. He settled down, though. His last three innings were probably his best."

Martinez allowed eight hits and walked one. He improved to 5-1 with a 1.33 ERA in his past seven starts.

That matched Stanton's previous longest this year, and he now has 26 homers, including the longest two in the majors in 2015.

Justin Heyward hit his eighth homer for the Cardinals.

With the score 3-all and two outs in the seventh, Mark Reynolds hit a full-count pitch off the right foot of pitcher Sam Dyson (3-3) for an infield single to put the Cardinals ahead.

Earlier in the inning, Martinez was hit in the right shoulder by a pitch from Dyson, fell to the ground face first and was slow to rise. But Martinez took his base and showed no ill effects when he returned to the mound, throwing one pitch 98 mph.

Martinez improved to 5-0 in his past seven starts. Trevor Rosenthal pitched around a single in the ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

"I didn't like that at all," Matheny said. "He seems to be OK. It will be interesting to see tonight how it tightens up. I imagine it will a little bit."

Martinez took his base and showed no ill effects when he returned to the mound, throwing one pitch 98 mph. He said he expects to make his next start as scheduled.

Justin Heyward hit his eighth homer for the Cardinals. Trevor Rosenthal pitched around a single in the ninth for his 22nd save in 23 chances.

Stanton's homer, which landed near the beer garden in left field, put Miami ahead 2-0 in the first. It was his 11th homer in June, breaking the club record for the month set by Hanley Ramirez in 2008.

Adeiny Hechavarria had an RBI single in the second for the Marlins, but they went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Miami has lost five of its past six games.

"When you play a team like the Cardinals, there's a reason they have the record that they have," manager Dan Jennings said.

"When you get leadoff guys on, you have to get them over and get them in. Unfortunately we didn't do that."