BOSTON — The Red Sox practically were counting down the days to Eduardo Rodriguez’s return from the disabled list at the end of May.
The 23-year-old lefty had been a bright spot in Boston’s rough 2015 campaign, going 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA in 21 starts, and some even thought he could slot in near the front of the rotation this season. But Rodriguez hasn’t been that guy so far, and that was wildly apparent Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles, to whom he gave up five runs in 4 1/3 innings.
And while Red Sox manager John Farrell doesn’t think the knee injury Rodriguez suffered in spring training is bothering him, he does think it affected his starter’s delivery.
“I don’t think the knee is — I think he’s gotten over the physical ailment of the knee, and that’s been evident by the increased power,” Farrell said before Friday’s game against the Seattle Mariners. “There’s, I think, later action to his secondary pitches.
“But there are some things he kind of evolved into because of the knee injury that if you were to compare his delivery these four starts versus the one last year, he went to more of a sidestep in that delivery to take some of the stress off the knee. We’re adjusting back to the delivery that he used a year ago. The fact that he’s past any kind of restrictions in the knee allows him the confidence to get back to that delivery.”
Rodriguez’s changed delivery makes it harder for him to execute pitches properly, thus his 6.97 ERA and six home runs in four starts. But Rodriguez might have another problem that carried over from last season, and it’s just as unsettling: tipping pitches.
“Every pitcher’s got personal habits in their delivery,” Farrell said. “With Eddie, there’s been different things that have maybe been detected, whether by opposition, by us. And so it’s been a little bit of a moving target, but there’s some things that are clear that are there that we’re continuing to work on.”
Rodriguez’s issues are reparable, but they’re certainly not easy fixes. With time, however, the Red Sox might be able to find the Rodriguez who shone in his rookie season.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
