Martin Happy With Workload

The way Dodger reliever Tom Martin sees it, he’s working on about one year’s rest, so why should anyone make a fuss about him pitching so much lately?

When Martin retired Colorado’s Todd Helton in the eighth inning Tuesday night, it marked the left-hander’s 14th appearance of July, a heavy workload that included appearances in a career-high six consecutive games from July 8-13.

Since a rough patch earlier in the month, when a mechanical flaw caused his breaking pitches to flatten out and he gave up five earned runs in three games from July 3-8, Martin has thrown six consecutive hitless innings over nine appearances, stranding all seven inherited runners during the stretch.

“I love it -- I have no problem at all with it,” said Martin, who is 0-2 with a 3.66 earned-run average. “They’ve been really good about not getting me up [in the bullpen], sitting me down and having me throw again.

“I would say eight out of 10 times I warm up, I’m going in. I promised [Manager Jim Tracy] I’d be honest and tell him when I needed a day off. I haven’t had to tell him that.”

Martin, 33, hasn’t exactly been a bullpen iron man. He has had three shoulder and two elbow operations in his career -- “They’re running out of things to cut in there,” he said -- and was limited to a total of five innings for Tampa Bay and triple-A Durham last season.

But with 32 innings pitched in 48 appearances, Martin is well on his way to surpassing his career-high of 55 appearances for Houston in 1997.

Martin has allowed only four of 32 inherited runners to score, he has limited opponents to a .214 average, and he’s versatile enough to pitch two innings, as he did Monday night, or face one batter, as he did Tuesday night.

“It’s a critical part of having one of the best pitching staffs in baseball,” pitching coach Jim Colborn said of Martin’s contributions from the left side. “I’m sure we wouldn’t be as good if he wasn’t here.”

*

Utility player Ron Coomer, sidelined by a jaw problem known as TMJ (Temporo-Mandibular Joint) Syndrome, was fitted by a UCLA Medical Center specialist Wednesday for a mouthpiece that should help alleviate his problem.

“I got this from clenching and grinding my teeth when I play, when I’m home, when I’m asleep,” said Coomer, who has experienced spasms on the right side of his face and skull and severe headaches for about two weeks. “I get the mouthpiece Monday, and we’re going to re-evaluate then whether I can get active or not.”

Coomer, who has been on the disabled list since July 11, will undergo a two-week treatment and rehabilitation program, and he hopes to return by early August.

*

When center fielder Dave Roberts is activated off the disabled list -- most likely Friday -- Tracy said he would hit Rickey Henderson first and Roberts, normally a leadoff batter, second when the two played together. “Rickey is a pretty good leadoff hitter, and David is a better two-hole hitter because of his situational hitting ability,” Tracy said.