Red Sox scratch Eduardo Rodriguez, Henry Owens to start
The Red Sox have decided to scratch Eduardo Rodriguez due to lingering hamstring soreness. Henry Owens gets the call up to start Sunday.
Boston Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez left his last start against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night after experiencing soreness in his left hamstring. It was obvious that it was a real issue because E-Rod was actually in control at the time after not allowing a hit and tallying up seven strikeouts. The team seemed to give the impression that it was a precautionary measure at the time.
Fast forward a few days to Friday where he threw a bullpen session and the soreness was still there, according to Rodriguez. The hamstring didn’t feel too much better on Saturday, causing concern for manager John Farrell and E-Rod, so the decision was made to scratch him from his scheduled start in Detroit on Sunday.
Per WEEI’s John Tomase, Rodriguez discussed why that move was necessary:
"“I feel it’s still a little bit tight,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t want to get in the game tomorrow and do something wrong and get that crazy or get in the game and not focus on throwing strikes and focus on whether I can still feel that. I had that feeling before with my knee. I know it’s going to be something wrong. It doesn’t make the pitch where I want it or give up a lot of runs. That was the decision that was made.”"
Farrell agreed that if it was sore enough that Rodriguez wouldn’t be able to focus on the mound, then you can’t put him out there. However, he also says that he sees no plans in the near future to place E-Rod on the DL. There was no definitive targeted date given for when Rodriguez will pitch again, but it could be as soon as the beginning of the week.
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With Rodriguez getting scratched for Sunday, Henry Owens gets the call up from Pawtucket for the spot start. Owens is 8-6 with a 3.70 ERA in 21 starts for the PawSox this season. The lefty has started three games for Boston in 2016 and hasn’t had much success with a 5.11 ERA, but he’s been much better as of late in Pawtucket. According to CBS Sports, “he’s coming off a four-game stretch in which he’s allowed four runs while striking out 29 in 23 innings.”
This could be Owens’ last real chance to make an impact and show that he’s ready for the big-time. Boston is in the midst of a playoff push and a divisional battle with the Jays and Orioles so they cannot afford a pathetic showing that forces Farrell to max out his bullpen.
Also, if Rodriguez continues to worry about his hamstring, Owens can make the case that he deserves consideration to take the role.
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He’ll face Justin Verlander in a big series finale today with the Red Sox rolling as of late. They’ve won eight of their last nine and would like to win the series in Detroit. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10pm.