Rangers Earn 5-2 Victory Over Orioles
Some MLB debuts are scripted like Hollywood movies, while others tend to go off the rails. On Wednesday, it was a little of both for Baltimore Orioles prospect Grayson Rodriguez, who made his highly-anticipated start versus the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez, Baltimore’s top prospect and the No. 6 top prospect in baseball, was originally assigned to triple-A Norfolk after struggling to a 7.04 ERA across five spring training outings. But a foot injury to Kyle Bradish created a necessity on the big-league roster.
So without hesitation, the franchise’s first-round selection from the 2018 draft was called into action, receiving the nod at Globe Life Field.
Standing on the other side was Rangers ace Jacob deGrom, who was coming off a rough debut on Opening Day, where he allowed five runs on six hits, including a home run, over 3.2 innings. Rodriguez’s biggest challenge, however, was fighting off his first-inning jitters.
The 23-year-old walked the first hitter he faced, Marcus Semien, on just six pitches as he struggled to command his high-90s fastball early on. After inducing two hard-hit outs, the right-hander surrendered a pair of runs off hits from Adolis Garcia and Josh Jung.
But Rodriguez settled in following a rocky first, retiring all three batters he faced in the second, which included his first major-league strikeout, as Ezequiel Duran whiffed on an 81-mph sweeping slider, producing 16 inches of horizontal break.
From there, Rodriguez proved virtually untouchable as he allowed just a pair of singles through the rest of the way, setting down 13 of the final 15 batters he faced following Jung’s RBI single. He departed after the fifth inning but not before finishing with five punchouts for the afternoon.
With the game tied 2-2, Baltimore’s young phenom received a no-decision for his efforts against Texas’ potent offense. The Orioles’ bullpen, however, put a damper on his outing as Austin Voth allowed three unanswered runs, which proved to be the difference.
It was all smiles – and a few happy tears – for Rodriguez after the game, though, as he gathered with his supporters in the stands. But it wasn’t until he reached close family members in the visitor’s game room that raw emotions started to set in.
Among those awaiting Grayson’s arrival was his father, Gilbert, with the two enjoying a heartfelt embrace that saw the 6-foot-5 hurler wrap his arms around his dad as tears flowed down their cheeks.
Rodriguez, a native of Nacogdoches, Texas, who grew up just 175 miles outside of Arlington, was in awe of facing his childhood team. He dreamed of this moment several times as a kid and hoped it’d become a reality one day.
That opportunity came Wednesday at Globe Life Field – a milestone he’ll cherish forever.
“I grew up watching the Texas Rangers. A lot of memories at the old ballpark,” Rodriguez said post-game. “Getting to come and throw here is pretty special.”
While the Orioles lost 5-2, Rodriguez displayed many positives in his first start, including his explosive four-seamer, which he used nearly 50 percent of the time to induce eight whiffs on 22 swings. It was also responsible for four of his five strikeouts.
The towering righty’s slider was also an important weapon, generating four whiffs on eight swings and one strikeout. And neither of the two batted-ball events it produced featured an exit velocity higher than 52.3 mph.
Baltimore’s initial plan coming out of spring training was to provide Rodriguez consistent reps at triple-A, allowing him to continue refining his command. But those plans could change following his latest outing.
“If they want to give me another start,” Rodriguez said, “I’ll be ready for it.”
Rodriguez split last season between double-A and triple-A, compiling 75.2 innings across 17 starts, posting a 2.62 ERA and 109 strikeouts. His 2022 campaign was cut short last September after suffering a Grade 2 right lat strain.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Michael Barera. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.