NEW YORK (AP) — Cardinals ace Carlos Martinez put on a historically uneven performance, walking a career-high eight while striking out 11 and handing CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees a 3-2 win Saturday. The Yankees won their sixth straight despite tying a team record by fanning 17 times. They got plenty of help from sloppy St. Louis, which at 3-8 is off to its worst start in 20 years and has the poorest record in the NL.

Martinez’s misadventures on the mound — he also airmailed a tapper to the backstop and threw a wild pitch — stood in sharp contrast to Sabathia (2-0), who took a shutout into the eighth. Jedd Gyorko and Stephen Piscotty homered late for St. Louis.

Martinez (0-2) couldn’t be touched at the start, and not always to his benefit. Of the first 12 batters, none put the ball in play. The All-Star righty became the first pitcher in 60 years with at least six strikeouts and six walks through two innings, the Elias Sports Bureau said.