Carlos Rodon suddenly transforms into Yankees’ savior amid rotation struggles

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Once considered a misfit to the Yankees rotation, Carlos Rodon is proving to be the team’s best bet in the summer. At a time when the Yankees’ starting rotation has faced considerable challenges after an excellent start to the season, the lefty who had a tough season last year, has emerged as a potential ace for the Yankees.

Gerrit Cole was far from being his Cy Young form before he was removed from the rotation due to physical exhaustion. While Luis Gil has shown improvement, concerns remain about his increasing workload. Both Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman have seen their performances decline after promising starts.

Amid these issues, Carlos Rodon continues to provide the Yankees some hope on the mound. His recent outing against the Blue Jays in New York highlighted his capabilities, despite a final line that didn’t fully capture his effectiveness. Rodon allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings, but his performance was stronger than the statistics indicate.

Aaron Judge praised Carlos Rodon’s skills, emphasizing that acquiring him was a strategic move for the team. Rodon has been particularly impressive in his last three starts, allowing only six earned runs.

“That’s why we went out and got him a couple years ago,” he said about the Yankees ace. “He’s an incredible pitcher.” 

In his latest appearance, Carlos Rodon demonstrated his prowess by striking out eight batters while surrendering just three hits and two walks. He effectively silenced most of Toronto’s lineup, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first-inning home run being the only significant offensive contribution from the Blue Jays until later in the game.

Carlos Rodon’s recent performances for the Yankees have shown encouraging signs of improvement. His fastball velocity peaked at 99.6 mph, nearly reaching his season-high, and he effectively utilized his four-seamer to generate 13 out of 17 whiffs. The Yankees’ lefty has expanded his pitching repertoire this season and it is contributing to the increased effectiveness of his primary fastball.

“I think [my fastball is] opening back up after using the secondaries a little more, especially in hitters’ counts,” Carlos Rodon said. “Got some fastballs by guys today.” 

He explained that by incorporating more secondary pitches, especially in hitter-friendly counts, he’s been able to surprise batters with his fastball. This strategic approach allowed Carlos Rodon to blow fastballs past several batters during the game.

Yankees vs. Blue Jays: Carlos Rodon navigates early challenges

After a smooth start, Carlos Rodon faced his first significant challenge in the sixth inning when he walked George Springer. He managed to strike out Joey Loperfido on his 100th pitch, prompting a mound visit from manager Aaron Boone. Rodon convinced Boone to let him face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. once more.

Despite throwing a 99.6-mph fastball just off the plate, Guerrero managed to hit a double down the right-field line. Carlos Rodon expressed admiration for Guerrero’s hitting ability, noting the impressive nature of the hit given the pitch’s velocity and location.

While the Yankees‘ rotation has struggled overall, Carlos Rodon’s ERA has improved to 4.37 and is trending positively, along with his pitch quality. Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised his performance, highlighting the improvement in his fastball as the game progressed and commending his effective mixing of pitches throughout the outing.

“I thought stuff-wise, he was really good again,” Boone said. “I thought the fastball got better as he went. … Good job of mixing really all day.”

This recent outing suggests that Carlos Rodon may be finding his form and could potentially become a stabilizing force in the Yankees’ rotation if he maintains this level of performance.

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