Despite the loss against the Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has had two quality performances that will keep him around.
The 23-year-old Venezuelan has had a roller coaster of an MLB career that’s lasted only just over 400 days. In 2015, Rodriguez came up to the big club because the pitching staff was in shambles, due to injury and poor play. Throwing a rookie to the lions seemed the only option. Instead of failing, like so many others, Rodriguez allowed only one run in his first three starts. Then, the Toronto Blue Jays knocked him around for nine runs. The ride went for a 10-6 record and a 3.85 ERA, with hopes that his sophomore year would turn out even better.
A major injury to his right knee caused weeks of recovery turn into months. A reinstatement followed by a demotion to the minors to find what was left of his game would have been a major blow to another pitcher’s psyche. Apparently, not to Rodriguez. At least, not in the last two games.
After allowing only one run against the New York Yankees last Saturday, taking the win in the hostile confines of Yankee Stadium, Rodriguez had a different kind of pressure by playing his second game in front of the Fenway Park faithful. The home fans were behind him at the opening pitch, and he didn’t disappoint. Rodriguez allowed two earned runs on six hits, a walk, and eight strikeouts. It wasn’t enough to win the game on this night, but his performance should be enough to keep him around.
In the top of the sixth inning, Rodriguez already had a strikeout when he walked Twins’ veteran Joe Mauer. That was enough for Red Sox manager John Farrell, as he brought in Heath Hembree to relieve him. Instead, Hembree walked Brian Dozier before Miguel Sano doubled to score Mauer, the runner charged to Rodriguez.
Sure, Dozier was the one who hit the solo home run off of Rodriguez earlier in the game, but does that mean he deserved the hook?
Sam Galanis of NESN reported Farrell’s thoughts on the situation that caused the loss: “It felt like this had the makings of a low-run game, and where we were in the bullpen, Eddie getting to the point where his night was getting near the end, felt like that was the right time to make the move. Unfortunately the walk and then the double is the difference.”
Hindsight is 20-20, but a one-out walk doesn’t seem that much, especially when it’s the first and only walk of the game at that moment. There was nothing wrong with Farrell being cautious, just as much as there was nothing necessarily wrong with leaving Rodriguez in the game to finish the inning that he started.
Galanis added that David Ortiz, the face of the franchise and undisputed leader of the team, said to reporters, “I think he’s back,” referring to Rodriguez. If that isn’t enough of an endorsement, what is?
Next: Ranking Red Sox Shortstops
Farrell might have been better off believing in Rodriguez a little longer or maybe not; however, what is clear is that Rodriguez wasn’t a disaster in two straight starts. The experiment might still continue for the rest of the season. If it does, it would mean that Farrell would have to give Rodriguez the benefit of the doubt for another three or four months. In any case, the more experience that Rodriguez gets in the majors, he can learn what it takes to stay out of the minors.