© Orlando Ramirez | USA Today
Dereck Rodriguez is used to hearing about his dad. His father, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is a Hall of Fame catcher. But this year has been all about the son, not the father.
On Tuesday, Dereck Rodriguez threw seven innings of seven-strikeout, three-hit, one-run ball in a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. While Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto have headed to the disabled list, Rodriguez has taken their place in the rotation with poise and quality after previously being used in spot starts and bullpen appearances.
Since June 24, only Chris Sale (0.23) and Zach Greinke (1.33) have a lower ERA than Rodriguez (1.49). He has one of the 10 lowest rookie ERAs (2.59) on the season and is tied for the sixth-most wins with five.
This begs the question: is Rodriguez in the hunt for rookie of the year? While he’s usually compared to his father by the media, Rodriguez took the chance to make the comparison himself.
“That’s the one thing my dad never got so that’d be nice,” Rodriguez said. “He got everything except that.”