SEATTLE — "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."
None other than former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson offered perhaps the best sports analogy regarding preparation for a particular fight or athletic contest. The baseball version played out Saturday night at T-Mobile Park, as Eduardo Rodriguez scuffled on the mound for the Red Sox in a 6-5 defeat against the Mariners.
Rodriguez was expected to throw a steady diet of changeups at Seattle [...]
SEATTLE — “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
None other than former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson offered perhaps the best sports analogy regarding preparation for a particular fight or athletic contest. The baseball version played out Saturday night at T-Mobile Park, as Eduardo Rodriguez scuffled on the mound for the Red Sox in a 6-5 defeat against the Mariners.
Rodriguez was expected to throw a steady diet of changeups at Seattle hitters, something that never really came to fruition. The left-hander’s pitch count rose rapidly thanks to spotty command of his fastball and cut-fastball. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings and was tagged for five earned runs as Boston saw its starting pitcher roughed up for the third straight night.
“I wasn’t able to throw the ball right where I wanted,” Rodriguez said. “I was missing a lot and they were sitting on my changeup. I was unable to show a fastball for a strike or a cutter or a slider.”
Most vexing for the Red Sox was the performance of Jay Bruce, one of just two left-handed hitters in the starting lineup for the Mariners. Bruce drew a four-pitch walk in the first inning and nailed a first-pitch fastball from Rodriguez for the deciding three-run homer in the fifth. Bruce’s drive flew 414 feet to the bleachers in right-center field, as he jumped all over a pitch down and out over the plate.
“We didn’t use his changeup against the lefties, which was really surprising,” Boston pitching coach Dana LeVangie said. “His best pitch versus lefties is a wipe-out changeup. It’s a really good pitch against those two guys. We didn’t get to it.”
Rodriguez was squeezed on his first pitch to Bruce, which appeared to be a strike down and away. His next three offerings weren’t close, as Rodriguez missed down twice and inside on ball four. Tim Beckham followed with an RBI single to right and Ryon Healy ripped a run-scoring double to left.
“If you go back to the game, the walk in the first inning and the homer in the fifth – that’s the ballgame right there,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “And he knows it. He’s dominated lefties. He did it last year and he’ll do it again.”
Rodriguez issued just six walks and racked up 37 strikeouts against left-handers in 104 plate appearances last season. They were 3-for-5 against him on Saturday, as Dee Gordon added a broken-bat RBI single to left in the fourth. That snapped a 2-2 tie and put the Mariners in front to stay.
“Lefty-lefty, you’re supposed to be winning on that,” Rodriguez said. “That’s something I’ve been working on and I’m going to keep working on it. That’s the thing that gets me more mad.”
Rodriguez followed fellow starters Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi in giving up at least six runs for the third straight day. Boston has been ambushed by a revamped Seattle lineup that’s missing second baseman Robinson Cano following an offseason trade to the Mets and outfielder Nelson Cruz after a free agent departure to the Twins. Beckham carried a pair of home runs in the series in Sunday and Healy had doubled three times in three games.
“I saw it in spring training,” Cora said. “We always talk about the vertical attack — pitch up and down. I noticed a little bit that teams weren’t as aggressive with the pitch up in the zone. They’ve done an outstanding job not expanding the zone with two strikes.”
“I just think they game-planned really well against our starters,” LeVangie said. “It’s our job to stay one step ahead of them right now.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25