Red Sox pitching coach Dana LeVangie questioned Rodriguez's game plan and pitch mix following Saturday's loss to the Mariners, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.
LeVangie wanted Rodriguez to throw his cutter to right-handed batters, but the lefty didn't make them uncomfortable with it. LeVangie wanted to see changeups to left-handers, but the pitch was rarely used against them. Rodriguez said he didn't have confidence in his fastball, which he wasn't commanding, and the damage may have been due to that. Whatever the root cause for the poor results -- not executing pitches or the gameplan, or both -- it calls into question the decision to carry Blake Swihart, who was the catcher Saturday, over Sandy Leon. Swihart may not be as familiar with Rodriguez as Leon. The Red Sox are now 5-12 when Swihart catches dating back to last year, while going 55-23 when Leon started in 2018.