BOSTON — When Eduardo Rodriguez returned to the Red Sox on May 31, the expectation was he’d provide a boost to Boston’s up-and-down starting rotation. Four outings later, it appears Rodriguez has become part of the problem, not the solution.
The 23-year-old left-hander endured another rough outing Thursday night at Fenway Park, allowing five runs on eight hits through just 4 1/3 innings to take the loss in a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.
Rodriguez continued to be plagued by his two Achilles’ heels: walks and home runs. He issued two free passes, one of which was followed by an Adam Jones two-run home run in the third that turned out to be the game-winner. Rodriguez has allowed six homers and given up nine walks in his last three outings, and three of those homers have been directly preceded by walks.
“It comes down to just consistent execution,” manager John Farrell said after the game. “There were a number of at-bats where he would get ahead in the count and he would misfire on the plate to give the guy a chance to put a ball in play. Then, when he would get behind in the count, he found himself in some hitter’s counts and ended up being squared up.”
Rodriguez agreed with his manager, citing a lack of control as the key to his disappointing outing.
“All the frustration is about location,” Rodriguez said. “The fastball is feeling good, the changeup is feeling good, but everything is going straight to the middle.”
Rodriguez’s struggles since returning from a knee injury that kept him out of spring training are concerning, but are they enough for the Red Sox to bump him out of the rotation? Farrell said the team has no plans to demote Rodriguez, but Farrell, Rodriguez and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had a lengthy closed-door meeting in Boston’s clubhouse shortly after he made those comments.
Of course, the Red Sox don’t exactly have a wealth of options at starting pitcher. Left-hander Roenis Elias is expected to pitch Friday as the team’s fifth starter, but Farrell intimated Elias’ role could be temporary. Joe Kelly is dealing with a groin injury in Triple-A Pawtucket and Clay Buchholz is in the bullpen.
Buchholz pitched three scoreless innings of relief Thursday, so he could be a candidate to return to Boston’s rotation. The bottom line, however, is that the back of the Red Sox’s rotation still is murky, and Rodriguez has yet to do anything to clear the waters.
If Rodriguez stays in the rotation, his next start would be next Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox, where he would attempt to reach 100 pitches for the first time this season (his high is 99). Until then, the second-year lefty will focus on only the the things he can control.
“I have to just keep going and working to be better,” Rodriguez added. “That’s it.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
