Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to make his season debut on Tuesday night when the surging Arizona Diamondbacks continue a three-game series with the host Cleveland Guardians.
Now in his ninth major league season, Rodriguez landed on the injured list back on March 28 due to a shoulder strain. He signed a four-year, $80 million deal with Arizona as a free agent back in December 2023 after going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 26 starts for the Detroit Tigers last year.
Rodriguez has been eager to get back on the mound.
“It’s frustrating every time someone else is up there in your spot when you’re supposed to be out there pitching,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t there, so watching the games when that was happening was a little frustrating for me, especially when I was in the middle of all the MRIs and all that.
“That’s what I want to do, I want to go out there and show what I can do. I want to help the team.”
Cleveland is about the best team Rodriguez could make his return against, as the 31-year-old is 6-0 with a 2.28 ERA in eight career starts against the Guardians.
And the Diamondbacks are red hot, improving to 22-9 since June 29 thanks to Monday’s 7-6, 10-inning win over Cleveland.
Joc Pederson hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Diamondbacks in the series opener, and Eugenio Suarez drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th. Arizona also started the game with a bang, getting back-to-back solo shots from Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno to open the first.
Meanwhile, the Guardians have been skidding, as they have dropped three straight games on the heels of a five-game winning streak.
Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez hasn’t let the team’s struggles get to him, though. He went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI on Monday and is batting .424 (14-for-33) with five homers and 12 RBIs over his past nine games.
Teammate Andres Gimenez has also been in the zone, going 14-for-38 (.368) during an active 10-game hitting streak.
Ramirez and Gimenez will attempt to get the Guardians back on track along with right-hander Ben Lively (10-6, 3.42 ERA), who is set to make his 20th start of the season on Tuesday.
Last time out, Lively lasted six innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. He gave up two runs on four hits to earn a win.
Lively is 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA in his past four starts.
“It’s almost like he comes into every game feeling his way through and he finds what’s working and sticks with it,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of Lively. “He’s willing to make adjustments. He’s willing to do different things to get outs and he just continues to give us a chance to win every time out.”
Tuesday marks Lively’s sixth career appearance (fifth start) vs. Arizona. He is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA against the Diamondbacks.
–Field Level Media
