Rodriguez followed instincts during scuffle
CINCINNATI — Rookie pitcher Dereck Rodriguez was one of the first Giants off the bench as catcher Nick Hundley and the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig squared off Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
“Being in Puerto Rico and watching my dad over the years, you kind of know when stuff starts to heat up,” said Rodriguez, son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez. “Once I saw Puig look at Hundley and start saying some words, I knew something was going to go down.
“I had one foot out of the dugout, and when (Puig) pushed him, I took off. I didn’t want (Hundley) to be there by himself.”
Rodriguez was on a peacekeeping mission, he said, adding, “I’m not a big altercation guy.”
As it turned out, Rodriguez strained his right hamstring during the tussle and on Thursday was sent to the 10-day disabled list. Friday, with his left leg wrapped in ice, Rodriguez said he felt what he thought was a leg cramp when running onto the field.
When Rodriguez was holding back players during the scrum, he felt it more. He figured it would go away overnight, but it didn’t. An MRI exam showed a Grade 1 hamstring strain, not as severe as Grade 2, but enough to keep him off the mound.
Rodriguez threw on flat ground Friday and said he felt fine throwing but would have issues fielding his position and hitting. He is eligible to pitch Thursday in New York (10 days is retroactive to his last start), but that might be premature.
Rodriguez’s absence — he has a 2.25 ERA in 14 games (12 starts) and 1.28 ERA since June 24 — could hurt his Rookie of the Year candidacy, but more than that, he’ll be missed as an integral part of the rotation. He said if he were an American Leaguer, with the designated hitter rule, he could keep pitching, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy denied such a possibility.
“It’s unfortunate,” Bochy said. “This guy was throwing the ball as well as anybody. He’ll be down 10 days at least.”
Strickland to return: Hunter Strickland will come off the DL on Saturday after missing two months with a broken hand, and Bochy said he could use the right-hander in the sixth, seventh or eighth innings.
Strickland hasn’t pitched in the majors since June 18, when he gave up three runs to the Marlins and punched a clubhouse door. His six-game minor-league rehab assignment ended Wednesday.
“It’s definitely taken longer than I wanted, but it’s part of it,” Strickland said. “It’s something I brought on myself, so you’ve just got to deal with it and move forward.”