The Boston Red Sox might not have much to play for right now, but for Eduardo Rodriguez, there are some personal accolades in his reach.
Tuesday’s victory over the Texas Rangers marked the penultimate start of the season for the southpaw, who now has 19 wins. Rodriguez has been one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this season, and getting to 20 wins would be a nice feather in his cap after what has been a solid campaign for him.
And with the lineup the Red Sox rolled out Tuesday, it was clear they were angling for a victory for E-Rod. They sent out nothing but regulars, save for maybe Marco Hernandez, in a game that had precisely zero playoff implications.
The message was clear: Alex Cora and Co. cared about Rodriguez getting a shot at 20 wins. Following the game, Rodriguez shared the message Mookie Betts had for him at the hotel prior to the game.
“With Mookie, coming out of the hotel … he tells me, ‘I’m going to play today because of you,'” Rodriguez said, via WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. “I said, ‘Thank you, bro, appreciate it.’ You see the lineup they put out today to try to get me that win and they did it.”
Betts did end up leaving the game due to a foot injury. As for Rodriguez, he’ll get the ball Sunday against the Baltimore in the Red Sox season finale.
