Eduardo

Rodriguez

Rodriguez dodged some trouble in the first two innings before Houston brought a run in to score on a groundout in the third. The Astros would get to him in the fourth. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for Chas McCormick, who knocked a base hit to score two runs. A single, error, and a walk brought a fifth run in to score before Rodriguez could escape the inning. That would do it for the 31-year-old left-hander. He’ll take a 5.83 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and an 18/10 K/BB ratio across 29 1/3 innings into a start against the Brewers in Arizona next weekend.

Rodriguez’s 92 pitches produced just four missed swings and one strikeout today, and the Diamondbacks lost one of his outings for the first time in five starts since he came off the injured list. He’s 2-1 with a 5.33 ERA and a 17/7 K/BB ratio in 25 1/3 innings. This weekend’s matchup in Houston is another bad one for him.

Rodríguez was off to an excellent start before things unraveled, tossing four perfect frames against the Mets. Things got away from him in the fifth. He allowed four runs in score in the frame, including a two-run homer by Harrison Bader. Rodríguez would leave the game in the sixth with a runner on base at 89 pitches. The inherited runner would come in to score. The 31-year-old left-hander will take a 5.06 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 16/5 K/BB ratio across 21 1/3 innings into a start against the Dodgers in Arizona on Monday.

The one run in 5 1/3 innings is good, but it also took Rodriguez 100 pitches to get those 16 outs and five of the six hits he allowed went for extra bases. He induced nine whiffs on 49 swings for an 18 percent whiff rate and 27 percent CSW in what was overall a solid if unspectacular performance. He has yet to pitch more than 5 2/3 innings so far in 2024 but considering he made no rehab starts before getting on the big league mound this year, it’s not a bad start. He’ll take a 3.94 ERA into a start against the Mets next week.

Rodriguez got 11 missed swings tonight after producing just two in his Diamondbacks debut against the Guardians last week, so that’s a positive. He wound up allowing six hits, walking one and striking out five. He has an even easier assignment coming up next week against the Marlins, and while we don’t have total faith in him as a mixed-league option at this point, he should be worth playing then.

Rodriguez was far from dominant in giving up two homers and striking out one. His 65 pitches produced just two missed swings. His velocity wasn’t bad, so he’ll probably get better than this. Still, it might take a little while.

With showers in the forecast throughout Tuesday night in Cleveland, there wasn’t much of a window for the two teams to get this one in. It’ll be made up as a doubleheader on Wednesday instead. Fantasy managers will have to wait an extra day for Eduardo Rodriguez to make his long-awaited Arizona debut during Wednesday’s twin bill instead. Meanwhile, it’ll be Ben Lively getting the ball at some point for the Guardians.

Rodriguez will officially make his season debut on Tuesday night at Progressive Field against the Guardians. It’s a decent matchup for streaming purposes as the 31-year-old southpaw makes his long-awaited Arizona debut after missing the first few months of the year recovering from a shoulder injury. He’s most likely already rostered in all fantasy formats and could wind up making a significant impact over the final few weeks of the year.

Rodriguez rejoined Arizona on Friday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and appears poised to make his long-awaited Diamondbacks debut early next week when they travel to Cleveland. The 31-year-old veteran southpaw has been out since spring training due to a lingering shoulder ailment. He should be rostered in all fantasy formats and doesn’t appear to have any workload restrictions coming out of the gate.

Merrill Kelly will throw three innings on the same day. Rodriguez is just that much ahead of Kelly, and it’s quite possible that he’ll join the Diamondbacks rotation next week. Kelly could return a week later. Both have been shelved with shoulder injuries.