ATLANTA -- Braves reliever Chris Martin expects to miss the remainder of the NLDS against the Cardinals after suffering an oblique injury during Game 1 at SunTrust Park on Thursday night.
After entering the series opener in the eighth inning, the righty walked off the mound with an athletic trainer and exited due to left oblique tightness before throwing a pitch in the Braves' 7-6 loss.
Braves manager Brian Snitker aggressively deployed his relievers after starter Dallas Keuchel worked 4 2/3 innings. Right-hander Darren O’Day finished the fifth, then setup man Shane Greene pitched the sixth and left-hander Max Fried handled the seventh.
That left Atlanta with one inning to cover before summoning closer Mark Melancon, and Snitker lined up Martin to face right-handed hitters Paul Goldschmidt, Marcell Ozuna and Yadier Molina. Martin made his way to the mound and warmed up, but he was soon removed due to his injury. Right-hander Luke Jackson replaced Martin and gave up a leadoff home run to Goldschmidt.
If Martin is out for the remainder of the series against the Cardinals, the Braves will need to add a replacement pitched to their series roster before Game 2 on Friday afternoon. By rule, if Martin is replaced on the NLDS roster, he would also be required to miss the NLCS if Atlanta were to advance.