BOSTON — The Red Sox came out on the wrong side of a 2-1 win for the Minnesota Twins, but Eduardo Rodriguez’s night was their consolation prize.
The left-hander was once again at the top of his game Friday in his second outing since returning from Triple-A Pawtucket, giving up two runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking only one over 5 1/3 innings. Rodriguez even earned that second run after he was pulled for a one-out walk in the sixth when reliever Heath Hembree walked and gave up a double to the two batters he saw.
“I think he’s back,” David Ortiz said of Rodriguez after the game.
It’s been a rough road for Rodriguez this season after a solid rookie campaign in 2015, but he’s already lowered his ERA from 8.59 to 6.70 in the two starts he’s made after the break, the first one being a one-run affair over seven innings against the New York Yankees. And Rodriguez has been working hard on his pitches and trying to focus on getting them over the plate, something that was very apparent Friday in his much improved slider.
“I’ve been working a lot in the bullpens and everything to get those pitches better and better every time, and it’s working right now,” Rodriguez said, adding, “I think it’s been to get out of my mind the tipping stuff and all that stuff, too, and just working to throw the ball right where I want it.”
It seemed a little premature when Rodriguez got the hook with one out in the sixth, but Red Sox manager John Farrell’s thought process was sound. Brian Dozier, the next batter, already hit a solo home run off E-Rod in the second inning and has had some success against the 23-year-old in the past. It was Hembree who wasn’t as solid as he had been in the first half of the season.
“With (Dozier and Miguel Sano) coming, that was a spot for Heath,” Farrell said. “It felt like this had the makings of a low-run game, and where we were in the bullpen, Eddie getting to the point where his night was getting near the end, felt like that was the right time to make the move. Unfortunately the walk and then the double is the difference.”
Here are some more notes from Friday’s 2-1 loss.
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— The other big talking point of the night was that the Red Sox had the bases loaded with no outs in the ninth yet didn’t plate a single run. And what was most surprising is that it was David Ortiz, the King of Clutch himself, who turned the inning around by grounding into a double play.
“I think everybody in the ballpark just assumed this one might have a chance to be ended right there,” Farrell said. “(Ortiz) rolls over a ground-ball double play, but, yeah, he’s been so big for us, I think everybody in the dugout felt the same way: confident that the stage was set for him to come through in another dramatic moment.”
But Ortiz isn’t going to dwell on this one.
“Just another game, man,” Ortiz said. “The pitcher, he tried to get us out, and that’s what they’re there for. If the game would’ve been that easy, it wouldn’t be the way it is. They know how to get a hitter out. They know how to get that done. It’s not always going to work in our way. Sometimes it’s going to work in their way, too. That’s what they’re there for. I let it go.”
— Mookie Betts left the game in the top of the fifth inning with right knee soreness and is considered day-to-day. Farrell said the right fielder had received some minor treatment for it in games after the break, but they’ll have to wait to see if Betts needs rest or something more.
“He got a little soreness, a little stiffness, as the game went on,” Farrell said. “He felt like he couldn’t run as normal. Precautionary, we got him off his feet here. We’ll check him when he comes in (Saturday) to see if he’s going to be available, but right now day-to-day.”
And for what it’s worth, Michael Martinez, who replaced Betts, made two spectacular plays in right and hit a single in the ninth to start Boston’s failed rally.
“The one thing that Mike does, his work pregame keeps himself sharp,” Farrell said. “Of the three outfield positions, right field is clearly his best. That was the report even coming over from Cleveland. … Good bat-to-ball, an athletic guy, a valuable skill set.”
— Baseball America’s No. 9 overall prospect and the Red Sox’s No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft Andrew Benintendi played his first professional game in left field for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Friday. Benintendi went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs and two RBIs in Portland’s 9-3 win over the Binghamton Mets, catching four fly balls and a lineout in left.
The move very well could have been in preparation for a September call-up, but Benintendi likely won’t make his major league debut earlier than that. Farrell made it clear that the switch had nothing to do with the absence of left fielders Blake Swihart or Chris Young, who are on the disabled list.
“That’s separate of that,” Farrell said before Friday’s game. “When you look at what Brock Holt has been doing in left field, he’s been outstanding. So Andrew’s move to left field is independent of all those.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
