ANAHEIM -- Grayson Rodriguez has had trouble finding consistency from start to start this season after missing all of last year due to injury but is starting to show some signs of putting things together.
Coming off his best start of the season that saw him allow two unearned runs over seven innings in Houston last week, Rodriguez turned in a second straight solid outing in an eventual 4-3 loss to the Guardians on Wednesday afternoon at Angel Stadium. The right-hander went 5 2/3 innings, surrendering one run on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts but was struck with a no-decision after Ryan Watson gave up two runs in the ninth and couldn’t protect a one-run lead. It was the Angels’ 10th loss of the year after leading after eight innings.
“It's definitely tough, obviously,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “But it is what it is. The game moves on, and you've got to turn the page, go to the next day, and prepare to win the next one.”
Roriguez has a 6.03 ERA in 15 starts this season but has been much better in August, posting a 2.93 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 10 walks in 27 2/3 innings. It’s a good sign that things are going in the right direction after he missed all of last season after dealing with a right lat strain and ultimately having bone chips removed from his right elbow in August.
“It feels like I'm starting to get back to my old self,” Rodriguez said. “Just being in the zone with the heater, being able to throw it pretty much in any count. Offspeed's getting a little bit better, but there's some things we need to work on still.”
Rodriguez opened this year on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation and didn’t make his debut until May 17, then went back on the IL from June 15 to July 10 with lower back stiffness. So while he’s certainly had his share of scuffles on the year, finishing strong would be important for the 26-year-old.
Rodriguez, acquired in an offseason trade with the Orioles for outfielder Taylor Ward, still remains under team control for three more seasons. So this year has been more about acclimating himself to being back in the Majors and proving he can stay healthy.
“He battled,” Suzuki said. “He pounded the strike zone. I thought he did a great job of attacking the zone and executing his pitches.”
Rodriguez, though, had to work hard to pitch into the sixth inning against Cleveland, as he never had a clean inning and had to get his way out of several jams. In the first, he was helped out by getting former teammate Jo Adell to ground into an inning-ending double play with two runners on.
He had some luck on his side in the third, when José Ramírez ripped a line drive with two outs that struck Travis Bazzana as he tried to advance from first base to second. Ramírez was credited with a hit, but Bazzana was ruled out to end the inning.
The lone run he permitted came in the fifth, when Brayan Rocchio led off with a double on a liner to left that Jose Siri misplayed in center field. Rocchio scored on a sacrifice fly from Bazzana but Rodriguez struck out Ramírez to escape further trouble.
He was removed with two outs and a runner at first base in the sixth, as he was at 92 pitches and the Angels wanted to bring in lefty reliever Sammy Peralta to face the switch-hitting Angel Genao. Peralta retired Genao and pitched a clean seventh, but allowed a leadoff single in the eighth which came around to score after he left to make it 3-2. Then, Watson couldn’t close it out, allowing two runs in the ninth, keyed by an RBI ground-rule double from Steven Kwan.
“I just didn’t execute pitches and that’s the bottom line,” Watson said. “Can't go out there and expect to put up zeros with leaving pitches over the middle of a plate.”
Rodriguez pitched with a lead for most of his outing, as the Angels scored in the first on a wild play keyed by a throwing error from lefty Joey Cantillo and two more runs in the second despite not getting a hit that frame. But the Angels only managed three hits and just one after the first inning on a leadoff single from Josh Lowe in the ninth.
“It was tough,” Suzuki said. “Obviously you get to that point, you're feeling good about yourself, but they're tough at-bats over there, and we gave ourselves a chance to win. Just couldn't finish it off.”