2 weeks Ago
The New York Yankees got back on the right track on Wednesday night with a 5-1 victory to avoid a sweep against the red hot Cleveland Guardians . Entering the season — especially after injuries to two of their most critical starting pitchers — the outlook for the rotation was not optimistic . Even after handing over a mammoth contract to Max Fried , the depth simply did not exist in a unit that the offense was going to have to make up for.
Unsurprisingly, the back end of the unit has been for the most part a disaster with Carlos Carrasco struggling as well as Clarke Schmidt and Will Warren not quite clicking yet. While the bottom has struggled mightily, the top half has been extremely impressive. Big things were expected from Fried and to this point he has exceeded that bar and been absolutely phenomenal, though this does not come as much of a shock.
The biggest surprise may be from the man who has been thrust into the No. 2 role in the absence of Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil however. After starting on Opening Day and not getting off to the strongest beginning to the year, Carlos Rodon has been on an absolute tear the last couple of starts.
He did not show any signs of slowing down on Wednesday night. The left-hander tosses seven innings and allowed just four hits and one run while striking out eight in what was a red hot Cleveland lineup. Rodon is finally starting to look like the All-Star caliber pitcher New York believed it was getting when they handed him a lucrative six-year deal prior to the 2023 season.
Over his Major League leading first six starts of the season, the 32-year-old has pitched to a 3.50 ERA and 1.056 WHIP.
Perhaps most encouraging is his strikeout rate finally returning close to the form from 2021 with the Chicago White Sox and 2022 with the San Francisco Giants , both years when he finished Top 10 in Cy Young voting. With an American League leading 45 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched, Rodon is clearly finding his footing. Though he has struggled a bit with command and currently leads the Major League in walks, his two free bases on Wednesday tied for his lowest total of the year and indicates he is moving in the right direction in that department.
If Rodon can continue to improve and bring the best version of himself all year long, it's going to go a long way towards the Yankees being able to weather the storm of injuries and compete to defend their American League crown. Recommended Articles.
