SAN FRANCISCO – On Wednesday afternoon, Dereck Rodriguez thew his first quality start of the season, and although the Giants squandered his outing, Rodriguez was still happy with his performance.
After the game, Rodriguez not only talked about his outing but also about his goals.
“The way the game is going today it’s usually, ‘Try to get to the bullpen as fast as you can,” Rodriguez said. “So, when you have starters going out there six, seven, sometimes eight innings, you protect the guys in the bullpen.”
“I take pride in that, I want to be a workhorse, and I want to be a guy that can hopefully throw 200 innings and hopefully not give too much work the the bullpen. So, yeah, throwing seven innings today was a confidence-booster.”
Wednesday marked the first time since August of 2018 that Giants starters have recorded back-to-back seven-inning starts. Rodriguez threw seven innings with four hits, two earned runs, and five strikeouts. This performance came on the back of Derek Holland’s gem Tuesday where he threw seven innings with five hits, one earned run, and nine strike outs — the most he has thrown in a Giants uniform.
Rodriguez mainly stayed out of traffic, keeping the bases relatively clear, though one mistake to Padres slugger Manny Machado cost the Giants a go-ahead run in the 6th. Rodriguez did not shy away from the mistake postgame.
When Dereck Rodriguez makes mistakes, he owns up to it. pic.twitter.com/iSUOY0PEv6
— KNBR (@KNBR) April 10, 2019
Manager Bruce Bochy commented on Rodriguez’s ability to command the strike zone.
“You just look at his ability to command, he had a good four-pitch mix going. He’s hitting the spots very well, and that’s when he’s good,” Bochy said. “He’s got four pitches he can throw at any time, and he commands them well.”
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