Carlos Rodon Crumbles... Again!

I had this awful nightmare that Carlos Rodon gave up two more long balls to Jung Hoo Lee last night. I quickly realized my nightmare was a harsh reality and I’m reeling over here. What an awful weekend, and what an abysmal reminder that Rodon just doesn’t have what it takes.

The Giants are feeling great right now and Lee looks like a superhero. I wish I could say the same for Rodon. I know he started off well, I liked seeing him retire 10 of the first 11 batters but the only thing that matters is the end result. Small sample size but it certainly looks like Lee has Rodon’s number. First Lee took him deep on a slider and then in the sixth inning when it all fell apart, Rodon hung a curveball that Lee didn’t miss. It went right over the right field wall for the go-ahead three run shot. It’s the same story for Rodon, too many walks which leads to the big mistake.

To say pitching is a HUGE problem for us right now is the understatement of the century but with no Gerrit Cole or Luis Gil we need everyone to step up and deliver. Instead everyone not named Max Fried has been a liability. Yankees brass knows we need to make a move, we needed moves before the season started but here we are. No moves made with expectations to get back to a World Series with this pitching staff? That’s a delusional pipedream.

Rodon’s ERA is now 5.48 through 23 innings over four starts. The season is young, but he has already given up FIVE homeruns and 10 of his 14 earned runs this season have come from the long ball. Since the start of the 2024 season, he has given up 36 home runs which is the most in MLB. He’s not getting the job done and Aaron Boone and Matt Blake don’t know how to “fix” him. The only thing Boone can offer is more of his Boone babble on tv. “He’s made a lot of big pitches. His stuff is prone to the long ball,” Boone said. “Especially in certain situations, preventing that the best we can is a challenge.”

We all know that Rodon’s history in pinstripes shows history is repeating itself, there’s no disputing that. His Achilles heel are his walks, which leads to more home runs and ultimately leads to failed outings and losses. Now that the Yankees refused to address the rotation months ago, we have no choice but to trust him and hope he figures it out and pitches like an ace. 

The Yankees have blundered here, just like Rodon has during his time with us. You can’t rely on proven failing records and hope it magically changes and gets you back to the World Series….but here we are. The Yankees can only rely on more of the same from Rodon and I’m tired of writing about it.