Rodon gives glimpse of what Yankees expected
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carlos Rodon retired 11 straight batters at one point on Sunday in what Aaron Boone said “might have been his best four-inning stretch” as a Yankee.
Unfortunately, it came after Rodon gave up two more runs on four hits in the bottom of the first of a 7-4 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.
There were encouraging signs for a second straight start from Rodon, on a pitch count after coming back from a hamstring injury that caused another stint on the injured list, but the Yankees still haven’t seen the version of Rodon they signed up for when he inked a six-year, $162 million deal in the offseason.
“I kind of settled down and settled in,’’ Rodon said of what happened from late in the first inning until the fifth.
He flashed a fastball that hit 98 mph and struck out a season-high seven batters.
It’s hardly the kind of numbers anyone had in mind when the Yankees made him their top offseason priority after bringing back Aaron Judge, but it was better than he has been.
Rodon’s afternoon got off to another rocky start, as he was hurt by some sloppy defense befitting a lastplace team.
Randy Arozarena led off the bottom of the first with a single to left and Harold Ramirez popped out to second.
Then things quickly unraveled for the Yankees and Rodon.
Arozarena took off for second on an 0-1 pitch to Brandon Lowe and Kyle Higashioka airmailed the throw to center for an error.
Arozarena got to his feet and headed toward third, where Harrison Bader’s throw bounced past Oswald Peraza and then scooted by Rodon, who was backing up the play.
The misadventure from the lastplace Yankees allowed Arozarena to score the game’s first run.
Then, on Rodon’s next pitch, Lowe crushed a solo homer into the stingray tank beyond the fence in right-center.
Down 2-0, Rodon then allowed a single to Isaac Paredes, hit Osleivis Basabe with a pitch — the first of four Rays hitters to be hit on Sunday — and then gave up another single to Luke Raley to load the bases.
But he got Jose Siri and Christian Bethancourt to get out of the inning and didn’t allow another base runner until a leadoff walk to Jonathan Aranda in the fifth.
Boone believed Rodon found a groove he hadn’t discovered in his previous seven starts in what’s been a wildly disappointing first year as a Yankee.
“I felt those innings, he had the best rhythm of the year and hopefully it’s something he builds off of,’’ Boone said.