BALTIMORE — Carlos Rodon will pitch with six days rest when the White Sox play the Tigers Friday to open a 10-game home stand. Even at this early stage of the season, only five starts in, the 26-year-old left-hander is welcoming the extra rest.
“I’ll take it,” Rodon said. “I think it only helps, especially this early in the season spacing out to pitch the whole year.”
The Sox shuffled their rotation after getting rained out in Saturday in Detroit, in part with the staff ace in mind, manager Rick Renteria said. Thursday’s off day gives Rodon not one but two extra days.
In four seasons, Rodon’s highest innings output is 165 innings (28 starts) in 2016, his second year. He logged 120 2/3 innings and 20 starts last season coming off shoulder surgery.
“It’s a long season and it’s April right now,” he said. “To get a couple extra days in early helps in the long run. Arm is still trying to catch up, I’ve been throwing pretty well and these extra two days will help.”
According to Brooks Baseball, Rodon’s career velocity norm for his four-seam fastball is 93-94 mph. He averaged 91 in his last outing Friday, a 7-3 win in Detroit, after averaging a season-best 93 in the start before that, a 5-2 win at Yankee Stadium. Rodon was effective in both six-inning outings, allowing one run against the Yankees and two against the Tigers.
“I feel pretty good,” Rodon said. “I know the velocity was down the last start but I think that’s partly from the cold (upper 30s in Detroit). It’s early in the season and I think that’s going to come up. I’m not worried about it, everything feels pretty good. I’m just trying to stay healthy and be durable for the rest of the year.”
Rodon is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA with one bad start — four runs, eight hits, five walks allowed in 4 2/3 innings against the Rays April 19. In his other four starts, Rodon has a collective ERA of 1.92.
Anderson running smart
Tim Anderson leads the majors with nine stolen bases, and he hasn’t been thrown out yet.
Which tells him one thing.
“I’m the smartest baserunner in the league,” he said, smiling. “I’m nine for nine.”
Dee Gordon and Billy Hamilton have eight stolen bases. Gordon has been caught one time and Hamilton twice.
Anderson, 26-for-34 stealing last season and 15-for-16 in 2017, is very fast but he’s leaning on more experience to avoid getting nabbed in his fourth season.
“I kinda know what I’m doing now,” he said. “I kind of know when to run and pick my spots and I’m getting better at it. I’m more knowledgeable. I’ve learned a lot from past years. I know the catchers, and I know what move I’m looking for. The rest is my legs.”
Anderson said he doesn’t “want to give away secrets” but he’s also on the same page with the hitter while’s he’s on first, knowing “when to go and get that bag.”
“And I like it because it only takes a hit to drive me in if I’m on second.”
This and that
The Sox are 5-0 in night games, the only undefeated team at night in the majors, after their 12-2 win over the Orioles Monday. They are also 13-4 in their last 17 games against the AL East.
*Jose Abreu (five RBI) and James McCann (four), who both homered Monday, were the first pair of Sox teammates to record four-plus RBI in a game since Abreu and Adam LaRoche April 18, 2015.
*Manny Banuelos (four scoreless innings), who has been pitching in relief, was hoping to go five innings Monday but was on pitch limit of 75. “He had to work so hard [to get out of a jam] in the fourth,” Renteria said. “It didn’t make any sense to send him back out.”
