WASHINGTON D.C. — There are few spots that could have been more comfortable for Dereck Rodriguez to make his first road start. His father, Ivan, played two seasons here and Dereck spent plenty of time in D.C. during those years. The Rodriguez name is stamped on a wall behind the plate.
It was not, however, a happy homecoming for the young right-hander.
Rodriguez threw 60 pitches in the first two innings and didn’t make it out of the third. After two strong outings to open his big league career, he was charged with five runs in a 7-5 loss to the Nationals.