HEADLINE!!!!
Rodon is hurt......AGAIN. Yes, fans the future ace of your Chicago Cubs is once again down for the count. He has failed to work beyond the fifth or beyond 90 pitches in seven straight starts. Sore shoulder and sore throwing arm.
Now that's the kind of reliability you can put your money into......
CHICAGO -- The White Sox are targeting a Sept. 29 start at home against the Reds for
Carlos Rodón after the southpaw departed
Monday’s 4-3 loss following three innings, 69 pitches and not feeling right, per manager Tony La Russa’s postgame comments.
“His comments after the game [were] he was tired, but he also said he was sore and he was sore this morning,” said La Russa prior to Tuesday afternoon’s contest. “Hopefully it's just normal soreness, and we'll do a bunch of stuff to get him ready and keep our fingers crossed that [next Wednesday] he's good to go.”
Rodón has been one of the team’s most valuable pitchers this season, boasting a 12-5 record, 2.47 ERA and 181 strikeouts against 34 walks over 127 2/3 innings. But the left-hander has been battling through shoulder fatigue and soreness in his throwing arm; he has failed to work beyond the fifth or beyond 90 pitches in seven straight starts.
Having Rodón as part of the White Sox rotation quartet with Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease will be important to their postseason success. But La Russa still needs to see more on the field to determine where the southpaw stands.
“That's why he needs to go on the mound, just to evaluate that,” La Russa said. “We're assuming he can make one of the [playoff] spots, but yesterday was not a good day, so he's got another shot next [Wednesday]. We'll see if there's a better result so we can be more optimistic.
“We're definitely concerned. We've got a pattern we've established all year long to give him extra rest and it's really worked. He's taken the extra time to stay sharp and stay strong. That's why yesterday was a disappointment.”
After throwing 11 pitches in the first, Rodón threw 30 pitches in the second and then 28 in the third against the Tigers. His four-season fastball velocity was down from this year’s average, per Statcast.
“When you lack overall command, it explains part of why it was such an effort,” La Russa said. “Hesitation's a good word, we're not assuming anything. Just try to do as much as you can and be optimistic it will work out. If not, we'll make an adjustment.”