“You think he’s amped up tonight?” asked the booth’s Geoff Arnold after Grayson Rodriguez’s first pitch of the night zoomed by at 99 mph, down around the knees of Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz. Facing the best team in the American League, could a super-amped Grayson Rodriguez keep his stuff and a masterfully talented opposing lineup under control?
Yes, he could. On Tuesday night, facing the 29-8 Tampa Bay Rays, Rodriguez turned in his best start yet, surrendering two runs on seven hits over five and two-thirds innings. True, back in April, Rodriguez threw a pair of five-inning shutouts against Detroit, but both stuff-wise and in context, this was the bigger deal.