Tigers can’t afford to give Rodriguez more chances
Francisco Rodriguez is done. As the Detroit Tigers closer. At least for now. At least he should be.
That’s a harsh assessment for a pitcher who has been so good for so long. But it’s also true. And obvious — to everyone except the Tigers. It feels that way, right? When manager Brad Ausmus sent Rodriguez to the mound in the ninth inning Sunday in Oakland to protect a one-run lead, the state of Michigan winced. Then closed its eyes. Because it knew what was coming.
Not only had Rodriguez struggled in almost every outing this season, he also had blown a save the night before, walking a middling hitter with two outs and no one on base to graciously help the Athletics’ rally.
That effort should have been enough to shut Rodriguez down. Temporarily, anyway. But Ausmus sent Rodriguez right back out in a high-leverage spot, relying on faith (and hope) instead of the evidence, which was damning. And ample. To wit: The worst ERA of his career — by almost double; the worst WHIP (walks plus hits allowed per inning pitched) of his career — by nearly the same margin; an obvious loss of command; an even more obvious loss of velocity; and shaken confidence.
While Rodriguez might keep telling us he’s the closer, the uncertainty he shows in attacking hitters tells us otherwise. That lack of bravado cost him twice in Oakland.
First, when he danced around Athletics pinch-hitter Bruce Maxwell on Saturday, and then when he soft-pedaled his best stuff to Rajai Davis on Sunday. Davis, a free-swinging hitter, rarely walks. And Maxwell rarely hits.
Yet Rodriguez failed to go after either.
The walk to Maxwell was especially telling. After getting ahead 0-2, Rodriguez threw three consecutive balls. Maxwell fouled the next two. At this point, it was clear Rodriguez was uncertain of how to get him out. Finally, seven pitches into the at-bat, he threw a changeup in the dirt.
Two batters later, the game was over, and Rodriguez had blown his third save opportunity of the season.
That loss, and that moment, should have been enough for Ausmus to make a change. Maybe not a permanent one, perhaps, but at least a change for Sunday. Here’s why: math. No, I’m not talking about the metrics that help illustrate Rodriguez’s struggles. I’m talking about the simple issue of wins and losses. The Tigers missed the playoffs last season by 21⁄ games. 2 They can’t afford to keep giving away games in the spring.
Maybe Saturday’s loss was unavoidable. Before that game, the bullpen hadn’t given up a run in 14 innings. And while Rodriguez hadn’t been good, he had saved seven games. So there was a chance.
After he blew the 5-4 lead Saturday, though, things felt different. Ausmus had to have known that. I’m sure he did.
Yet Ausmus sent him back out Sunday. It’s true that his options weren’t great if he didn’t call on Rodriguez again. It’s also true that the closer struggled early last season and rebounded to have a solid season.
Then, there is psychology. If Rodriguez goes right back out and succeeds, maybe that buoys him for the rest of the summer. Though I doubt it. It’s easy to understand why Ausmus gave Rodriguez another shot. But that doesn’t mean he should have. Rodriguez’s stuff and his ability to control it are just not there.
“I can’t recall going through such a bad moment than what I’m going through right now,” Rodriguez said. “Definitely extremely disappointed in myself. Just want to send my apologies to my team and the fans.
“It’s totally embarrassing. I’m more embarrassed than anything else.”
When Rodriguez took the mound in the bottom of the ninth Sunday, the outcome felt … predictable. Actually, it felt inevitable. That’s on Ausmus. And that’s not acceptable.
He might not have had great options, but he had them. Just about anything else was worth a shot.
Sometimes it’s only about the game at hand. Psychology and career résumés be damned.
It’s a good sign that Ausmus told reporters after the game that the team needed to have a discussion about the closer, even if it feels a bit late.
“(Rodriguez is) not closing out games,” Ausmus conceded. “It’s something he’s done for a decade. So I think it’s very obvious that it’s not the same Frankie.”
The problem is this was obvious Saturday night, too. And the Tigers can’t afford to keep ignoring the obvious.
Doing so is keeping an otherwise good team from busting out.