Daily Dose: Eddie Money
The Red Sox desperately needed to see something from their starting rotation.
On Thursday, Eduardo Rodriguez gave them a show.
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The 22-year-old, making his MLB debut, shut down the Rangers over 7 2/3 innings Thursday, earning his first major league victory in the Red Sox' 5-1 victory. Rodriguez allowed just three hits and two walks, striking out seven in the win.
It was a huge performance for a team that arguably needed it the most. The Red Sox pitching staff is one of the worst in baseball, owning a 4.55 ERA heading into the game that was second-worst in the American League. The team's best starter to this point, Clay Buchholz, is 2-6 with a 4.33 ERA on the year.
Searching for a spark, the team promoted Rodriguez in hopes he could provide some relief. The southpaw was the No. 59 prospect in baseball coming into the season according to Baseball America, and in eight starts with Triple-A Pawtucket Rodriguez owned a 2.98 ERA and 44/7 K/BB ratio over 48 1/3 innings.
Rodriguez actually began in the Orioles' system. He pitched for the O's for four seasons before being traded to the Red Sox last year in exchange for reliever Andrew Miller.
The start was supposed to be one-and-done, but when asked about what would happen if Rodriguez pitched "really really well," Red Sox manager John Farrell said Wednesday the team would "really really reconsider." After Thursday's showing, Farrell said he "certainly" the lefty to stay in the rotation for now.
Wrist Fractures Shelve Werth
An off-day scan delivered some bad news to Jayson Werth and the Nationals on Thursday.
Werth, visiting the Mayo Clinic on Rochester, Minn., on Thursday's off day, underwent a CT scan that showed two small fractures in his left wrist, an affliction that threatens to keep him out until August. The Nationals hadn't confirmed the news nor offered any update Thursday.
Werth sustained the injury on May 15, when an Odrisamer Despaigne pitch hit him in the wrist in the second inning. The initial diagnosis was a left wrist contusion after an MRI found no fractures or ligament damage.
“I wish it felt better,” Werth said on May 19. “I’m optimistic but I don’t feel like I’m out of the woods yet. Hopefully in a couple days it’ll respond a lot better and we can get going. Right now, it’s still pretty banged up. So the tests were good but I still feel like we’ve got a ways to go … As bad as it could be without being broke.”
Now that we (think we) know it actually is broken, the focus turns to his replacement in left field. Michael Taylor was given the first shot when Werth missed time earlier this year with a shoulder injury, but the 24-year-old has struggled to a .219/.265/.375 line in the majors this year. Other possibilities include Clint Robinson and Tyler Moore, and some combination of the three is the likely answer.
Tanaka Close To Return
An abbreviated, poor rehab start threatened to keep Masahiro Tanaka from returning to the Yankees next week, but it appears that will still be the case after all.
Despite some uncertainty expressed on the part of Yankees manager Joe Girardi, the right-hander is on track to return for a start early next week against the Mariners, Girardi said Thursday.
“We’ll have a heart-to-heart talk with him to feel where he’s at, and hopefully he can make a start in Seattle,” Girardi said.
“He had no issues yesterday. He said he felt good today, so you’ve got to believe him. And if he wasn’t throwing 93 and you saw things and his slider wasn’t sharp, you would think, ‘OK, maybe he’s not being honest.’ But with those things, I think you’ve got to believe him.”
The concern came after Tanaka lasted just three innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. The 26-year-old gave up four hits, including a home run, and walked two, throwing 62 pitches in the outing.
Even if he's deemed healthy enough to return next week, Tanaka is still pitching with a partially torn elbow ligament. The Yankees' $155 million investment continues to feel like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
National League Quick Hits: Cuban pitcher Yadier Alvarez will not be able to reach an official agreement with a team until the international signing period begins on July 2. Alvarez had petitioned MLB to allow him to sign early, but the request was denied, it seems. The Dodgers have been the hardest-charging team for his services, per CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, with the Blue Jays, Nationals, Rangers and Diamondbacks also in on him ... The Cardinals disclosed Wednesday that Matt Adams will miss 3-4 months with a torn right quad, and now he's set for surgery that will likely be season-ending. Adams will undergo the procedure Friday, leaving Mark Renolds as the team's primary first baseman for the time being ... Chris Heston rebounded from a couple subpar outings to stifle the Braves on Thursday, throwing 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball in a win. Heston allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out six, lowering his ERA to 3.82 ... The Cardinals optioned reliever Miguel Socolovich to Triple-A Memphis on Thursday in advance of activating outfielder Jon Jay from the 15-day disabled list on Friday. Jay has been out since May 10 with tendinitis in his left wrist ... Pirates pitching prospect Nick Kingham underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery Wednesday. The 23-year-old, who came in at No. 67 on Baseball Prospectus' prospect list prior to the season, now isn't likely to make his MLB debut until 2017 at the earliest.
American League Quick Hits: Erick Aybar left Thursday's game with left hamstring tightness. Aybar felt the hamstring while trying to beat out a bunt single in the fifth inning ... Chris Sale enjoyed a return to form Thursday, striking out 12 over 7 2/3 scoreless innings in a win over the Orioles. Sale lowered his ERA from 4.21 to 3.66 with the dominant outing ... After missing Wednesday's game with a sore shoulder, Rusney Castillo returned to the Red Sox lineup Thursday. The outfielder batted ninth and finished 1-for-4 with his first RBI of the year ... Castillo's teammate David Ortiz didn't return to the lineup as he continues to get a mental and physical break. Farrell told WEEI in Boston that Papi will be held out of the lineup for a few days to work on his swing after seeing his line drop to .216/.303/.377 recently ... Carlos Santana was placed on the paternity leave list Thursday for the birth of his daughter. The first baseman tweeted a picture of the young Slamtana on Thursday afternoon, so he should be back in uniform in the next day or two ... There was some question as to whether Wei-Yin Chen would make his next scheduled start on Saturday, but that concern appears to have been overblown. Chen will make his start as scheduled after some undisclosed soreness was found to not be a huge concern ... Daniel Nava hit the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a sprained left thumb. The team added outfielder Carlos Peguero, whom they acquired on Wednesday, in Nava's place.
