Severely hamstrung by the circumstances of Game 3, the Boston Red Sox are turning to a 25-year-old to make his first start of the postseason.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Red Sox will start left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez in Game 4, even though he made a brief appearance in Game 3.
Eduardo Rodriguez will start G4 for the #RedSox
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) October 27, 2018
Nathan Eovaldi was originally slated to start the game, but after he threw 97 pitches over six innings in relief in Game 3, Boston had no choice but to look for an alternative. He probably won’t feature in the series again until Game 6 at the earliest, if it goes that long.
Rodriguez always looked the likeliest starter. He threw just six pitches in relief in Game 3, meaning he’s as rested an option as the Red Sox are going to come up with at this point. Max Muncy’s walk-off homer was, in a certain way, a double loss for the Red Sox, as they were forced to wreck their pitching staff and didn’t even get a win out of it.
This will be Rodriguez’s first career playoff start. He’s been used in limited duty this postseason, allowing three earned runs over just 4.1 innings of action.
