Has Edro Turned a Corner?

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Good stuff. I rarely get to watch games anymore, but yesterday and his previous start he has pitched only 5 innings. Was it pitch count or ineffectiveness yesterday? His numbers didn't look terrible but they were down a run when he was pulled and had given up 3 in 5 IIRC.
I still see him evolving into a steady co-ace by 2018 with the remainder of this season and next having some high highs and some low lows. I'm just hoping he can pull it together enough for the remainder to balance out the rotation and potentially end up in a playoff rotation.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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A playoff rotation doesn't require 5 guys and often doesn't require 4 depending on the rotation's makeup and off days. Hopefully he'll end up in a playoff bullpen.
Hopefully he makes the rotation as part of a dominating rotation down the stretch and putting him as a playoff starter isn't even a question
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Since his return on July 22nd (all of 4 games) he's had a 2.63ERA 21K's and 8BB's in 24 innings. Averaging 6 innings per start. Also a .700OPS allowed and 3 HR's. .292BABip so I'll answer "yes" to the thread's question. Yes he has turned a corner. Can he continue his success since his return?
 

5dice

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Stat line looked like he pitched a damn fine game...... any late night watchers comments?
I watched, and as noted in the broadcast, the pitch that knocked him out was one of the only bad pitches of night. All the k's which were nice to see also add up to higher pitch count and he was tiring when he gave up that run and got yanked before it got worse.
 

DJnVa

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His pitch count wasn't horrible though--he was at 82 through 6, which is a pace to be around 100 through 7 (if Lee hits grounder at someone he would have finished at exactly 100), which is about what you hope for these days.
 

luckysox

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If he has outings down the stretch like he did last night, the Sox will be in good shape on his days to throw. Good to see him taking steps toward the pitcher he looked like he'd be at the end of last season. I forget how young the guy still is - 23, still learning, still growing into his game physically and mentally. He could be Lester-esque if he keeps going in the right direction.
 

Reggie's Racquet

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Since his return on July 22nd (all of 4 games) he's had a 2.63ERA 21K's and 8BB's in 24 innings. Averaging 6 innings per start. Also a .700OPS allowed and 3 HR's. .292BABip so I'll answer "yes" to the thread's question. Yes he has turned a corner. Can he continue his success since his return?
Let's hope it's a corner and not another one of those damn rotaries.
 

Stitch01

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He's a 23 year old with 30 career starts and a propensity for tipping pitches. Id expect more ups and downs, but the latest stretch and improved slider is certainly encouraging.
 

Cumberland Blues

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I thought he looked as good last night as he has at any point since his first few starts last season. What I was most encouraged by however, was one of his comments in the fluff interview they aired last night. He was asked some dumb generic question about how excited he was to face the Mariners lineup - and he was all business, saying he needed to watch the video and check out the numbers so he'd know how to attack them. Certainly gave the impression that he's taking his preparation seriously.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
He did a nice job of staying on the outer half (or the inside edge) to righties:



and a pretty good job of keeping it up and/or away to lefties:



....with just a few exceptions in each case, none of which hurt him.

He used the slider to both righties and lefties, and did a particularly nice job of burying it inside and (mostly) down to righties for fouls and swinging strikes:



As far as I can tell, only one slider was put in play all night, and that was Cano's double on a slider well below the knees but perhaps a bit too middle-middle.

He did lose a bit of velocity as he went along, especially toward the end, but managed to stay up around 94-95 through most of the game:

 

StupendousMan

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Hmmmm. Comparing his pitches last night (good) to those of June 27 (gave up 9 runs in 2.2 innings = bad), I see a small difference in the break of the slider: there's more variation, and a larger range of horizontal motion, in the recent game.

June 27:
edrod_jun27_b.png

Last night (Aug 01):

edrod_aug01_b.png
 

#1GreenwellFan

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I watched, and as noted in the broadcast, the pitch that knocked him out was one of the only bad pitches of night. All the k's which were nice to see also add up to higher pitch count and he was tiring when he gave up that run and got yanked before it got worse.
This is how I saw it. It was a great performance and 100 pitches for a young guy is solid. He was clearly tiring toward the end and I couldn't believe he was left in to face the last batter. This isn't Farrell bashing but I put that run squarely on him. We all know EdRo isn't capable right now of throwing many more pitches, he was clearly tiring and the risks of leaving him in a scoreless game far, far outweighed any benefits of him finishing the inning. We got lucky that decision didn't cost the game.

All of that said, I loved what I saw last night and I believe we will see lots more of it. I also agree with another poster that he's still young and inexperienced, so we will also see a few more ugly starts. Just goes with the territory. I think he's going to be a major plus for the team from here on out even with some more growing pains mixed in.
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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Didn't watch yesterday... But I was periodically checking scores.
He seemed to be cruising through 5 and then hit a wall, no?
Obviously the loss is on the floundering offense, but only 5.1 innings?
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
Didn't watch yesterday... But I was periodically checking scores.
He seemed to be cruising through 5 and then hit a wall, no?
Obviously the loss is on the floundering offense, but only 5.1 innings?
4.1.

Judging by the velocity chart, he actually hit the wall in the fourth, right around the 60-pitch mark, where his average velocity abruptly dropped about 2 mph:



I hope it's just a bad day, and not a bad day with repercussions.
 

bradmahn

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4.1.

Judging by the velocity chart, he actually hit the wall in the fourth, right around the 60-pitch mark, where his average velocity abruptly dropped about 2 mph:



I hope it's just a bad day, and not a bad day with repercussions.
The heat very well could have taken an extra toll on him. It was pretty miserable just sitting in the stands, let alone wearing pants in the sun as Edro was.
 

Norm loves Vera

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I know someone will toss up a few pitching charts from last night, but he looked great and he seemed to put his pitches right where he wanted. During the top half of the 5th, while the Sox were batting I remember seeing a shot of the RS dugout and Farrell waving to someone to get in the tunnel and someone quickly running in there. It must have been to check out EdRo as he came out a few minutes later. I was relieved to read it is believed to be a minor Hammie thing and he might be fine for the next start:
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox/2016/08/red_sox_starter_eduardo_rodriguez_exits_gem_in_baltimore_with_hamstring?utm_campaign=bostonherald_trending_stories&utm_source=bostonherald&utm_medium=trending_stories
 

In my lifetime

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I am still convinced his issues prior to his recall has more to do with his knee than typing pitches. Imagine landing on a knee with a subluxed tendon. It would be natural to "guard the knee" at landing and thus mess up your mechanics.
 

SouthernBoSox

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Regarding his start, he was masterful throwing both his change up and slider behind in the count. The ability to grab strikes with non fastballs in fastball counts is what seperates the good from the greats.

The sudden command and depth of the slider with slowly working back in an above average change up.... we're talking about a ceiling here that isn't too limited and his last 5 starts have been a blast too watch. The lightbulb turned on.
 

nvalvo

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Farrell says he expects Rodriguez to make his next start, per Steve Buckley of the Herald via Twitter.

*exhale*
 

joe dokes

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I am still convinced his issues prior to his recall has more to do with his knee than typing pitches. Imagine landing on a knee with a subluxed tendon. It would be natural to "guard the knee" at landing and thus mess up your mechanics.
yeah. So not so much turning a corner as simply getting out of the breakdown lane and back up to highway speed.
 

Bergs

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Farrell says he expects Rodriguez to make his next start, per Steve Buckley of the Herald via Twitter.

*exhale*
I was completely convinced his season was over when he limped off. This is great news.
 

dhappy42

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Hopefully he makes the rotation as part of a dominating rotation down the stretch and putting him as a playoff starter isn't even a question
It'd be funny if the Sox playoff rotation turns out to be Porcello, Wright and Edro, with Price in the pen.
 

Remagellan

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a three man rotation? Does anyone do that?
My all-time favorite WS series-winning three man playoff rotation may be the 1987 Twins' trio of Frank Viola, Bert Blyleven, and Les Straker: a future Cy Young winner, a future Hall of Famer, and a guy who lasted two seasons in the majors and never had a season in which he won more games than he lost (8-10 in '87; 2-5 in '88).
 

Harry Hooper

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Farrell: Henry Owens will start for Eduardo tomorrow. Still has hamstring tightness.
 

Harry Hooper

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One of the best things about Eduardo's performance yesterday was that when he missed, he missed well out of the strike zone. This held even when he was a bit wobbly at the end.
 

Rasputin

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I'm gonna go ahead and say that yes, he's turned a corner. He's healthy. His mechanics are fine. He's a damn good pitcher.

If Price, Porcello, Pomeranz, and Rodriguez are their better selves, the Sox are not a team someone would want to play in a post season series.
 

Sprowl

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Edro's near-no-hitter had some interesting features:

To RHB, lots of fastballs inside and up, alterated with a few changeups low and away -- it's a very effective combination, because Edro is unafraid to pitch up and in, and has the fastball command to make it effective:



The slider was a key emphasis in Edro's first few starts after injury and demotion, but it has retreated to the third pitch. I'm pleased about this development, because its movement is still barely adequate for the major leagues (if that).

Movement differentiation between the fastball and changeup continues to increase. Since the velocity separation between the two is limited, I'm just as happy to see the movement separation increase - but this will probably be a point of contention in Edranalysis going forward.



Most importantly, his stamina continues to improve. He hit peak velocity in the fifth inning, and sustained it through the seventh. There was some hard contact, but efficiency will cover over a multitude of sins.

 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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EdRo seems a bit snake bitten when it comes to getting a victory these days. 8 innings of dominance, and while not great.... 7 innings and only 2 earned runs should considered enough to pick up a win- especially against a lineup like the Jays. Frustrating that he dominated the lineup and then had Melvin Washed Up-ton take him yard.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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What was heartening to me about Rodriguez yesterday was that the events of the second and third innings would have unraveled badly had he been pitching like he had earlier in the year (say June). Instead he got himself out of a jam with minimal damage then more or less cruised through three more innings, keeping the team in the game. That was as impressive to me as throwing 7 2/3 no-hit innings in Oakland.