Grayson Rodriguez beat the Mariners despite allowing four runs and walking five in five innings Thursday.
Rodriguez struck out just two, but his performance was good enough with the Mariners having nothing to play for tonight. It’s his first win since Aug. 20, and he ends the year 5-8 with a 6.02 ERA. The Angels were 5-15 in all in his 20 starts. Still, acquiring him from the Orioles for Taylor Ward seems like a major win. He’s under control for three more years and won’t make all that much in his first year of arbitration in 2027. We wouldn’t want to bet on him being a mixed-league SP next year, but some improvement seems likely if he again remains relatively healthy.