Eduardo Rodriguez once again was haunted by a big inning.
For a third straight start, the Boston Red Sox left-hander was unable to minimize the damage during the lone inning that he allowed the opposition to score.
Rodriguez was tattooed for five runs during the second inning of a 7-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Saturday.
Adam Jones led off the inning with a double but was erased on a fielder’s choice, making it appear that Rodriguez could be on his way to a scoreless inning. But the lefty walked the next batter and then surrendered an RBI single to Mark Trumbo.
After striking out Caleb Joseph for the second out of the inning, Rodriguez was an out away from limiting the damage to one run. But Craig Gentry laced an RBI single to center to make it 2-0, and then Tim Beckham changed the game with one swing of the bat. The Orioles infielder won a nine-pitch battle, in which Rodriguez only threw fastballs, by crushing a three-run home run onto the Green Monster to make it 5-0 Orioles.
Rodriguez was stellar through the remainder of his outing, as he tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing the five runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking one.
The big inning has become a theme for the Red Sox lefty. Two starts ago, Rodriguez gave up four runs, all in the second inning, during a 5-4 walk-off win over the St. Louis Cardinals. And the Cleveland Indians got to him for three runs during the second inning of his last start, a 5-4 loss at Progressive Field.
“If you look back over the handful of starts of late, there’s been one inning inside of the game where there’s been a crooked number on the board,” manager John Farrell said, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “After that, he does settle in, there’s been a full compliment and mix of pitches.”
Farrell noted that Rodriguez’s problems stemmed from pitch selection Saturday.
“Today I know early on there was a high number of fastballs, particularly in the at-bat to Beckham,” Farrell said. “Once Eddie started to mix his secondary pitches, and I know this is a reoccurring theme here of late, he settled in and pitched effectively into the seventh inning.”
Let’s take a look at more notes from Red Sox vs. Orioles.
— The Red Sox have been outscored 36-9 during their three-game losing streak.
— Carson Smith tossed another 1-2-3 inning in a rehab outing for Triple-A Pawtucket. He now has allowed three hits in four scoreless innings for the PawSox.
— Dustin Pedroia continued to rehab on the field before Saturday’s game, and Farrell noted that the second baseman is progressing.
“Pedey (Pedroia) went through some early defensive work here already today,” Farrell said, per WEEI. “We’ll go through full BP here as we’re getting ready to get on the field. So, he keeps making positive steps. Still, I don’t have a return date. But as far as the ramping up of activities and the intensity to it, that’s in the works.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
