Red Sox rookie Eduardo Rodriguez (otherwise known as .EDU) has had an odd start to his MLB career. Across his 10 outings, had six starts allowing 1 ER or fewer, one of 2 ER, and after tonight’s line of 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks, he holds three games of 6 ER or more. Even more interesting is that in each of those blowup starts, he’s allowed at least 6 ER in a single frame. Man, it’s incredibly frustrating as an owner to watch Erod struggle like this. He absolutely dominates opponents about 90% of the time, and then it all falls apart in a blink of an eye to ruin your day. There was talk of him tipping pitches, and it’s possible that has returned again, but three walks aren’t making it easy to be favorable moving forward. His stuff is fantastic, which makes me believe that he will figure it out, but that may make him a mid-late round pick in next season’s draft, and not the flyer you want finishing the season. If you’re in the middle of the pack and need a high upside guy to give you a shot, Eddie is your guy. If you’re on top and looking to stay there, I’d try to find more dependable options.
Let’s see what every other SP did yesterday:
Andrew Heaney – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks. This train ain’t stopping for nobody! Obviously Drew is already snatched up in your league (right…?), but don’t go kicking rocks like a disappointed child, Heaney’s not the savior that some may think he is. Not enough K upside, and there is a regression on the way. Not major and a solid add right now, but he ain’t no ace.
Rubby De La Rosa – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 1 Ks. Our Call Boy was…odd. He got the ERA job done, but with just one punchout and five walks creating a poor WHIP. Whatcha doing there buddy? Did the Marlins batters scare you? Why? WHY?
J.A. Happ – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Okay, fine. This isn’t something you chase after at all, but whatever.
Ian Kennedy – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks. Whoa, Ian did something decent today. Not spectacular – this is Mr. Kennedy – but decent.
Hector Santiago – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks. So here’s the thing. Yes, Santiago is getting super lucky – you can even see it here with 9 baserunners across 5 innings and only 1 ER – and he’s holding an absurd 88.9% LOB rate to go with a 3.89 FIP and 4.31 xFIP. But the thing is that he increased his Sinker usage this season over 20 points to 55.6%, and the pitch has earned an excellent 8.8 Runs Above Average so far. It’s the reason he’s been successful, even though he only generates a whiff rate of 8.7% (also a major boost from last year). Look, I’m not endorsing Santiago because I think his golden house built upon a 2.33 ERA will crumble and crumble hard, but this repertoire change does indicate that some of his success is legit. Like 3.50 ERA legit.
Gio Gonzalez – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. I’m still failing to find the upside that Gio apparently brings to the table. I feel like I’m looking for a beach while vacationing in Nebraska.
David Buchanan – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks. If you’re looking for some blegh, you’ve come to the right place.
Clayton Richard – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks. I’m imaging some LA bro on his third bag of Doritos bellowing at his buddy: Hey Steve! Wouldn’t it be great if, like, we took Clayton Kershaw, you know, and then combined him with Garrett Richards? Oh man that would be AWESOME. Phew, glad we know the answer to that one.
Matt Harvey – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Something is seriously up with Harvey these days and I can’t keep him above guys like Pineda and Keuchel any longer :(
Chris Rusin – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks. Rusin has limited upside, pitches his home games at Coors Field, and doesn’t deserve a spot on your team. This should be the blurb for every Colorado starter.
Matt Wisler – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks. Yep, this is Wisler’s floor. It’s what happens when you’re a BABIP Zealot.
Tim Hudson – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. Stop Jeroming Hudson, you’re better than this. Well, a little better than this.
David Phelps – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. There’s a reason his initials are DP.
Alfredo Simon – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks. I’m disappointed that his eephus pitch didn’t save him. I was so sure that a 7th grader’s Fastball would do the trick.
Michael Lorenzen – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks. Yuck, I feel more violated than that foam finger. You know which one.
Matt Moore – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Those expecting…better from Moore are going to have to wait longer. He was a bit inconsistent when he was healthy with walk rates up the wazoo (over 4.00 in both 2012 and 2013) and if you think he’s going to put it all together this season, you’re going to be sadly mistaken. Sure, he may have one outing that makes you get an itchy trigger finger, but it won’t be for long. I’d be looking elsewhere this year.
Brandon Beachy – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. Speaking of looking elsewhere, Beachy isn’t going to be that surprise stud you want. Sorry fellas.
Steven Wright – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks. At least you have zero expectations with Steven. You’re the best Mr. Wright!
A.J. Burnett – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks. Ugh. At least he lowered the walk total this time, but dang he got Singled Out and allowed a pair of dingers. Welp, I still like him in the long run despite doubling his total HRs for the season in just two games. He did face the Cards and Royals back to back to be fairish. Yes, that’s totally a word.
Yordano Ventura – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. Ventura seems to have trouble avoiding the big inning, which reared its ugly (but beautiful on the inside) head in a four-run second inning. It’s just like Erod, but with a larger sample size to make you think it’s not going away. The K/BB is cool, but there seems to be more of a mental case going on with the young flamethrower, and I’m very hesitant to believe that he’ll be showcasing consistency this season. It’s sad, really, since his stuff is Top 20 worthy.
Nick Martinez – 4.0 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Pitcher’s in a hole ten feet deep…Can’t get out cause he’s got nooooooooooo heat! Seriously he throws under 90mph, did you really think his sub 2.00 ERA was legit?
Today’s Streamers
Nate Karns vs. Philadelphia Phillies – He has a very interesting matchup against Mr. Nola, and while he may not grab a win, he could take advantage against a poor offense.
Joe Ross vs. New York Mets – He’s probably hanging around the wire after getting the nod on Monday, and there’s little reason not to snag him up.
Tomorrow’s Streamer
Robbie Ray vs. Miami Marlins – The Fish are still without Stanton and Ozuna, which makes them easy pray for Ray.
Game of the Day
Aaron Nola vs. Tampa Bay Rays – A hotly anticipated debut for the most “MLB ready” guy in the minors – whatever that means. I plan on giving him the GIF Breakdown treatment so let’s compare notes.
Joe Ross vs. Jacob deGrom – Not only do we get Ross vs. the Mets, but we also get deGrom vs. who cares it’s DEGROM.