Boston — Nobody has to tell Eduardo Rodriguez about the unique challenge pitching at Fenway Park presents. Pitching here for six seasons, pitching postseason games here, he’s well aware.
It took him all of two starts to experience the full range of what can happen to pitchers, left-handed pitchers, especially, in this park.
His first start here was June 3, 2015, and he breezed through the Minnesota Twins lineup allowing two hits and a run in seven innings with seven strikeouts. Next time out, June 14, he took a nine-run beating from the Toronto Blue Jays.
“The beginning of my career here, I was thinking too much about that wall,” Rodriguez said, referencing, of course, the infamous Green Monster in left field. “I was making so many mistakes because of that. Then I realized, it’s just another ballpark and it’s still about keeping the ball on the ground, getting strikeouts, that’s going to get you deep into the game.
“If they make good contact, the ball goes 300-plus feet and it’s a home run if they hit it up in the air or it’s a double off that wall. It can’t change the way you pitch.”
Or, if he makes his pitches, he gets hitters to hit the ball to the cavernous right field and it can play like Comerica Park.
“It’s the same as anywhere else,” he said. “If you attack and make the pitches you want to make.”
Rodriguez returns to the Fenway Park mound for the first time with the Tigers on Sunday. The last time he pitched there, Oct. 18, 2021 in Game 3 of the ALCS, he helped the Red Sox beat the Astros.
“I’ve pitched a lot of games here. I know how it is,” Rodriguez said. “But for me, it’s about location. I don’t really change the way I attack hitters. Just get people out no matter where we play — Yankee Stadium, here, big ballparks, small ballparks, that never changes. Keep attacking hitters.”
Steady progress
Right-hander Casey Mize, working his way back after Tommy John surgery, threw another encouraging bullpen before the game Saturday. He’s been stringing positive bullpens together for a few weeks now.
You can’t help but wonder, nearly two weeks into August, if there’s even a glimmer of hope that he can return to competition this season.
“We have to make some more aggressive decisions pretty soon,” manager AJ Hinch said. “But, man, he’s done a good job of staying on the program.”
The Tigers, as has been demonstrated from the start with Mize, are not going to deviate from that program, however gradual it may seem from the outside looking in.
“I know it can be a little frustrating not to know what the back end looks like,” Hinch said. “But we’ve been so disciplined going step by step. Even being a little more aggressive in his bullpens, having shorter distance in times (between the sessions), utilizing his pitches — those are advances.
“But we don’t have a target date to speak of.”
The string of encouraging bullpens and the steady progress, Hinch said, is giving the club confidence that they can continue to put more and more on his plate. Whether or not Mize can return to competition before the end of year, that would be more of a bonus than the goal.
“I think if he’s able to pitch, that would be a great step forward,” Hinch said. “If he’s not, then he’s had a significant step forward anyway. I don’t think that is the judgment. That’s unfair to him and to the work he’s put in.
“Where he’s at right now is good enough and we want to continue to increase what he can handle.”
Báez scratched
Javier Báez was initially in the starting lineup and batting seventh Saturday, but he reported soreness in his right knee and was scratched.
He’s enduring one of the toughest stretches of his career, both on the field where he’s hit just .229 with a .289 on-base percentage since July 6, and off the field where for the last week he’s been mourning the death of his grandfather.
He is expected to leave the team Monday to attend the wake and funeral in Puerto Rico.
Before Báez was scratched, Hinch talked about hitting Báez seventh in the order.
“He’s had a hard time getting momentum to be the impact player he’s been before,” Hinch said. “And with that comes some decisions that are necessary. He didn’t even bat an eye when I told him he was moving down earlier in the year. Then he worked his way back up and now he’s back down.
“Right now, if he’s not controlling the strike zone, it’s hard to hit him anywhere else.”
Around the horn
Reliever Jason Foley was activated off the bereavement list before the game Saturday. Reliever Trey Wingenter was optioned to Triple-A Toledo to clear the roster spot.
… The home run Tarik Skubal gave up to Trison Casas in the fourth inning Friday was the first hit off him in 58⅓ innings, dating to July 8, 2022.
… The Tigers went into the game Saturday having homered in season-long seven straight games.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky