Grayson Rodriguez turns in quality start in loss

Rodriguez cruised through five scoreless innings against the Nationals before giving up a run on two hits in the sixth. He’d leave with one out and a runner on in the inning at 93 pitches. He collected four strikeouts. The inherited runner would come in to score, costing Rodriguez the win in an otherwise solid day on the mound. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 6.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 79/38 K/BB ratio across 87 innings into a start against the Twins in Anaheim on Friday.

Rodriguez threw just 61 percent of his pitches for strikes in this one with a 23 percent CSW. His changeup posted just a 50 percent strike rate, and that has been one of his best pitches this season. On a positive note, he did post a 15 percent swinging strike rate on his curveball, and he has struggled for most of the season to get whiffs on his breaking balls. Rodriguez will take a 6.28 ERA into a start against the Nationals on Sunday, and wejust can’t recommended using him in that game.

The Yankees got to Rodriguez right away, putting three runs on the board in the first inning on a pair of home runs by Spencer Jones and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Two hits and a groundout brought a fourth run in to score in the third inning. Rodriguez did a nice job giving the Angels three more frames before leaving at 102 pitches after six innings. The 26-year-old right-hander will carry a 6.03 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and a 72/33 K/BB ratio across 77 2/3 innings into a start against the Red Sox in Boston on Monday.

Rodriguez struck out four and walked one. He’s now allowed one earned run over his past two starts, spanning 12 2/3 innings. Rodriguez had an obscene 8.54 ERA through his first nine outings of 2026, but it’s down to 6.03 following Wednesday’s performance. His ERA, K-BB%, and other peripheral stats have all improved meaningfully in August. He’ll look to keep it going next time out against the Yankees.

Rodriguez struck out six batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. It looked like it was going to be another rough outing for Rodriguez as he walked the first two batters to start the game and allowed a single to Isaac Paredes to load the bases with nobody out. He rallied to escape that threat with only a pair of unearned runs allowed and went on to allow just one hit over the next six innings. The 26-year-old hurler got 12 swings and misses on 99 offerings on the night, posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. He’ll try to keep the good times rolling and further improve upon his unsightly 6.41 ERA and 1.53 WHIP when he does battle against the Guardians on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old right-hander punched out five batters in the ballgame while issuing a pair of walks. He served up a solo homer to Michael Massey in the second inning, then Jac Caglianone delivered a two-run single against him in the third. Rodriguez got 12 swings and misses on 89 pitches in the contest, posting a CSW of 27 percent. He’ll attempt to improve upon his brutal 7.17 ERA and 1.59 WHIP when he squares off against the Astros in Houston on Thursday.

Rodriguez struck out eight but couldn’t build on his best start of the season last time out. His K-BB percentage has improved over his past handful of starts, but he remains wildly inconsistent and pitches for one of the worst developmental organizations in pro baseball. Rodriguez now has a 7.20 ERA in 12 starts with the Angels. He remains off the fantasy radar next time out against the Royals.

Rodriguez had a nice night, averaging 96.8 mph with his fastball and completing seven innings for the first time since June 26, 2024. His previous high since his comeback was 5 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one. Rodriguez still has a 7.24 ERA at the moment, but it’s safe to say the Orioles wouldn’t trade him for Taylor Ward if they could do things over again.

Rodriguez struck out six and left with a one-run lead, though that didn’t even survive the sixth. It’s his best outing in the four since he came off the IL and right there with his top performances in 10 tries on the season. Next up for Rodriguez will be his first start against his old friends in Baltimore. It’s doubtful he’ll offer any mixed-league value the rest of the way on an Angels team that’s bad and probably getting worse, but he’s showing enough to make the Taylor Ward trade look like a clear win. The Angels will have him under control through 2029, and he’ll make close to the minimum again next year.

Rodriguez also issued a pair of walks in the ballgame while striking out three. All of the damage that he allowed came via the long ball, with Rafael Devers belting a two-run shot in the opening inning and Casey Schmitt adding a three-run blast in the third. The 26-year-old righty got eight swings and misses on 80 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of just 21 percent. He’ll try to improve upon an increasingly miserable 8.54 ERA and 1.79 WHIP when he takes on the Astros at home on Wednesday.