Pedroia takes on new role as a Red Sox pitching coach

Second baseman Dustin Pedroia gives starter Eduardo Rodriguez a successful tip on thowing breaking balls.

BOSTON -- Mark this down as the rare instance where Dustin Pedroia isn’t talking.

The normally gregarious Red Sox second baseman is taking no credit for a rather surprising development following Wednesday’s matchup against the Tigers.

Eduardo Rodriguez turned in six strong innings to handcuff Detroit, 11-4, and earn Boston a chance of splitting the four-game set at Fenway Park. The left-hander threw sliders on 16 of his 90 pitches – 17.8 percent of the time. That’s more than double the 8.8 percent of the time Rodriguez used the pitch last season.

“It’s funny because three or four days ago I was talking with (Pedroia) in the dugout,” Rodriguez said. “He told me, ‘You want to throw a really good breaking ball?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been battling to throw breaking balls since I was in the minor leagues.’ He told me to hold the ball like this and throw it like that.”

It’s not often the entirety of the Red Sox media core is taken by surprise, but that was the scene in the home clubhouse. An infielder had suggested an adjustment to a starting pitcher, and it was implemented with a fair amount of success in less than 48 hours. Rodriguez predictably faced a steady stream of follow-up questions, and his story remained consistent.

“He said, ‘Just hold the ball like this and throw it,’” Rodriguez said. “The next day I got the ball, I threw it and I went, ‘Oh, this is moving pretty good.’ I threw it in the bullpen and I threw it in the game today and it was working. I’ve got to say thanks to him.”

It’s the second time in as many home starts Rodriguez offered credit to an unexpected source. Pedro Martinez was on scene while Rodriguez made a slight change is his delivery prior to his April 12 outing against the Orioles, a night in which Rodriguez blistered Baltimore with improved fastball velocity. Red Sox manager Alex Cora seemed somewhat amused by the latest unexpected direction taken by his No. 4 starter.

“One was Pedro,” Cora said. “Next it was Pedroia. Who’s next, Pookie?”

That would be longtime home clubhouse attendant Pookie Jackson. Cora politely suggested pitching coach Dana LeVangie might have also played a key role in helping Rodriguez put together a third straight good outing. But Cora also welcomes players making suggestions to peers in the clubhouse like he did to former closer Jonathan Papelbon in the 2007 American League Championship Series.

“Papelbon in ’07 when Cleveland was getting to him here,” Cora said, when asked for a specific recollection. “All of a sudden they didn’t recognize the (split-fingered fastball).”

Papelbon turned in 10-2/3 scoreless innings that postseason as the Red Sox captured the second of their four World Series championships this century. Rodriguez has carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning in each of his two home starts and surrendered three earned runs in 12-2/3 innings. Cora won’t do anything to discourage further improvements, even if it involves a position player dishing out the advice.

“If they can help each other out, that’s what makes the team better,” Cora said. “The louder the talk in the clubhouse – and I’ve been saying this for a year and a half now – the better it is. That’s part of what good teams do.”

Pedroia’s track record in this area isn’t limited to Rodriguez. He offered David Price a quick tip in 2016 regarding his hand movement during his delivery. A fresh set of eyes and a different perspective is sometimes all that’s needed for superior results.

“It happens a lot,” Cora said. “It’s a different angle. You’re watching at short or at second, you see the whole picture.”