Carlos Rodon Needs To Shove For New York Yankees In Game 2

Carlos Rodon makes $35 million a year, and the Yankees are counting on him to be great for them in the second game of their wild-card matchup against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees need Rodon to pitch up to his contract and shove it down the Red Sox’s throats in this game. The Yankees are facing elimination, so Rodon must pitch well. It will not matter if Rodon suffers the same fate as Max Fried, pitching great, throwing up zeros, and getting a no-decision because the bullpen lost the game for him. Do you think Rodon will pitch well?

Pitching Preview: Carlos Rodon vs. Brayan Bello

Rodon has emerged as the co-ace the Yankees hoped they were signing before the start of 2023. His evolution from a fastball-slider bulldog who tried to bully hitters into an artist with an expansive arsenal and multiple ways to throw each of those pitches has been one of the most encouraging developments for any Yankee. He finished in the top 10 in strikeouts (203) and held hitters to the lowest average (.187) of any qualified American League starter. Rodon made 33 starts, and he went 18-9 with a 3.09 earned run average in 195.1 innings.

Like Fried, Rodon leaned on the developing mastery of his changeup. The result was a much less predictable pitcher in two-strike counts, boosting the effectiveness of his real out pitch, the slider. The slider had a 40.3% swing and miss rate, 32.7% chase rate, and 39.2% strikeout rate, all bests since he became a Yankee.

He has thrown his four-seamer low in the zone more, which increases the chase potential on the slider, and he expanded the use of a sinker that is a legitimate neutralizer against lefty batters. As long as he can hold the walks and the home runs in check, he should be primed for success. We will know early on if we see Carlos Rodon walking batters early.

Bello will start in Game 2 for the Boston Red Sox. He allowed almost a third fewer home runs per nine than in his last two seasons. However, he posted the lowest strikeout rate of his career and saw his whiffs and chases fall precipitously. In 29 appearances, Bello went 11-9 with a 3.35 earned run average in 166.2 innings. The Yankees should hit him.

Bello added a cutter in this season that effectively bridges the gap between his sinker and sweeper and helped him overcome his struggles against lefties. He dominated the Yankees in his first two starts against them this year, going seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits in each outing. They finally broke through against him, scoring four runs in five innings on September 13th by employing a more patient approach rather than free swinging early in the count as in their first two matchups.

Hitting Preview: Yankees vs Red Sox Game 2

The Yankees’ sluggers should be able to take down Red Sox Starting Pitcher Bello. They did the last two times they faced him on September 13. However, 13 strikeouts will not suffice, nor will loading the bases and failing to score any runs. It is a good thing Bello is not that much of a strikeout pitcher.

The Red Sox have some dangerous hitters, but as they showed in the first game of this series, they will get timely hits and take extra bases. That is important. It is called baseball, not run ball, because the object of the game is to accumulate bases while preventing your opponent from doing so.

Conclusion

Many commentators are crucifying Yankee Manager Aaron Boone for pulling Fried after only 102 pitches (with the bottom of the Red Sox order looming). Maybe Boone will leave Rodon in, but it is not Boone’s fault the Yankees struck out 13 times like last night, and it is not Boone’s fault Luke Weaver came in and promptly gave up the lead. One thing is for certain: if the Yankees lose this game, they, and their $300 million annual payroll, will be eliminated.