Martinez lands No. 5 job in Cardinals rotation

JUPITER, Fla. -- Before spring training, St. Louis manager Mike Matheny asked pitcher Carlos Martinez to work on controlling his emotions.

Martinez took that advice, maybe even too far.

When Matheny told the Martinez that he'd won the job as the fifth starter for the Cardinals, the 23-year-old right-hander barely reacted.

"It kind of backfired when I told him the news because I didn't get a whole lot," Matheny said Monday. "He's working on it, see."

After failing to see the expected joy from Martinez, Matheny joked that the Cardinals could still make other arrangements.

"He calls me Papi, and he said, 'No, Papi, that's my dream,"' Matheny said.

Martinez, Jaime Garcia and Marco Gonzales had been competing for the final starting spot. Garcia was put on the 15-day disabled list because of soreness in his surgically repaired left shoulder.

Martinez went 2-4 with a 4.03 ERA in 57 games for the NL Central champions last year. The right-hander made seven starts.

Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, John Lackey and Michael Wacha are the other starters for St. Louis. The Cardinals play in the major league opener Sunday night at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs, and Matheny has yet to announce the order of their appearance.

Martinez lost a similar battle last spring to Joe Kelly despite having better spring training numbers.

This spring, Martinez has struck out 16 in 16 innings while posting a 3.94 ERA. Gonzales allowed only two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings.

"It just came down to what we believe is going to be best for our club right now, and that will be Carlos getting the opportunity to start and Marco getting ready," Matheny said.

Martinez will wear No. 18 this season. He changed numbers to take the one worn by his friend and teammate, the late Oscar Taveras, who was killed in a car crash last October.

With four scheduled off-days in the opening 16 days of the regular season, the Cardinals could have opted to go without a fifth starter for the first couple of weeks.

Matheny, however, said Martinez will get every fifth start, which would put him on the mound for the Cardinals' April 11 game at Cincinnati. With the glut of off-days, Martinez could make his 2015 debut even sooner than that.

"There is the possibility that he could throw out of the 'pen for us at least that first day," Matheny said.

Villanueva makes roster

The Cardinals have told reliever Carlos Villanueva he will be on their 25-man opening-day roster.

Shortly after the first pitch of Monday's game against Washington, the Cardinals selected Villanueva's contract from Class AAA Memphis.

St. Louis also placed left-hander Jaime Garcia on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Friday. Garcia experienced discomfort in his surgically-repaired left shoulder following Tuesday's simulated game.

Villanueva, a 31-year-old right-hander, agreed to a minor league contract in February and had the right to request his release if not added to the roster by Monday. He will get a $2 million, one-year contract and the chance to earn $500,000 in performance bonuses: $250,000 each for three and six starts.

Under baseball's collective bargaining agreement, St. Louis had until today to give Villanueva written notice he would be on the opening-day roster, pay $100,000 retention bonus or release him.

A nine-year veteran who is 45-50 with a 4.26 ERA, Villanueva spent the past two seasons as part of the Chicago Cubs bullpen and starting rotation.

"Having the flexibility that he gives us -- the ability to be a guy that can be a long man for us, that could step in and throw multiple innings, and could also just come in and get some outs for us as guys need time -- all that is valuable," Matheny said.

Villanueva is 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in seven exhibition games. He has struck out 11 and walked two in 11 innings.