Rodriguez, who allowed 10 baserunners in 4.2 innings Saturday against the Twins, showed some improvement despite his lack of command, the Providence Journal reports.
Rodriguez struggled to command his fastball once again and allowed the worst offensive team in baseball to chase him before qualifying for a win. Through three starts, the left-hander has allowed 11 runs in 16.1 innings while walking as many as he's struck out. The results aren't good, but there are signs of improvement as he works his way back from a knee injury. The fastball, once a concern when it was sitting at 92 mph, touched 97 on Saturday and sat at 94. And, after relying heavily on the fastball in his previous start, he was more confident in his secondary offerings. The stuff is improving even if the results weren't. The Red Sox feel the command is more fixable than if his stuff hadn't returned since his injury.