Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez is eager for his first hit
The Boston Red Sox have started a new tradition this season. You hit a home run, you get a ride in the laundry cart. Xander Bogaerts went for his first ride on Tuesday when he hit a three-run blast to help Eduardo Rodriguez earn the win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Now the left-handed pitcher wants his turn to have teammates push him through the dugout in the cart.
A home run from Rodriguez might be a stretch considering he’s 0-for-20 at the plate for his career and rarely gets the opportunity to swing a bat. He’s tempering expectations by adjusting the criteria, telling reporters after the game that he thinks a ride in the cart is warranted if he gets a base hit, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
The goal of collecting his first career hit might be a long shot as well. Rodriguez is scheduled to make his next start on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, which means he’ll miss the following series when the team travels to New York to face the Mets.
The way the rotation currently lines up, Rodriguez should get an opportunity to pitch in Philadelphia next month and in Atlanta in mid-June. Those dates are too far out to predict if Rodriguez will remain in line to appear in either series though since postponements or injuries could jumble the rotation. The Red Sox won’t make another trip to a National League park until they wrap up the regular season in Washington from October 1-3.
With the NL expected to permanently adopt the designated hitter as soon as next season, Rodriguez is running out of chances to get that coveted base hit.
If his bat can’t get the job done, perhaps his arm will. Rodriguez believes that pitchers should be rewarded with a cart ride on special occasions, such as a no-hitter or a complete game. Sure, that would be bending the rules but the Red Sox made up these rules so they can change them whenever they want. If E-Rod throws a no-no or a complete game gem, give the man a ride in the cart!
Rodriguez has never thrown a no-hitter or a complete game in his career but he’s certainly capable. The lefty has bounced back strong after missing the entire 2020 season recovering from myocarditis, a serious heart condition caused by COVID-19.
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Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 0.875 WHIP in three starts this season. He’s struck out 18 batters and walked only two through 16 innings. He’s shown no signs of rust after the lengthy absence and his command has arguably been the best it has ever been.
If there’s one concern so far it’s the long ball. Rodriguez has allowed opponents to celebrate their own version of a laundry cart ride by allowing four home runs in his three starts, including a pair of solo shots against the Blue Jays. The home runs have done minimal damage since he’s done an excellent job of keeping runners off base. Considering Rodriguez owns a reasonable 1.2 HR/9 rate for his career, his homer-prone start is probably small sample noise rather than cause for alarm.
Rodriguez isn’t likely to hit any home runs but he’s more than willing to settle for his teammates doing the damage for him. The game-winning homer against the Jays is the first of many for Bogaerts, according to E-Rod. He bet his teammate that the star shortstop would hit 35 home runs this year, topping the career-high 33 he tallied in 2019.
Bogaerts scoffed at the prediction but he’s started the season on fire despite taking a while to bash his first homer. He leads the league with a .393 batting average and 24 hits while his .997 OPS would be a career-high.
We’re going to see the laundry cart so many times from Boston’s league-leading offense that the wheels might come off. Rodriguez might not get the turn he’s hoping for but if he keeps pitching well behind this powerhouse lineup, perhaps a ride on a duck boat would be an appealing alternative.