SAN FRANCISCO -- Dereck Rodriguez made his first career start on June 3, more than two months and 59 games into the regular season. That's not quite the traditional recipe for a Rookie of the Year candidate, but Rodriguez's winding path to a Major League mound as a converted outfielder was anything but conventional.
On Sunday at AT&T Park, Rodriguez (6-1, 2.25 ERA) bolstered his Rookie of the Year campaign, quieting the Pirates over seven innings as the Giants salvaged a series split with a 4-3 win. Rodriguez gave up just one run and scattered two hits while striking out four.