Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

Well, now we know what prompted the White Sox to made Carlos Rodon a first-round draft choice back in 2014. Who wouldn’t want a bulldog capable of winning his first five starts in a season? But this Carlos Rodon and the earlier versions one and the same player? Amazing. In three of his seven years as a big-league pitcher, Rodon has won at most three games in a season. Last year, he went 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in 7.2 innings. Compare that to 5-0 with a 0.58 ERA in 31 innings. Truly, health is everything. I’m trying to recall any Sox pitcher who has bounced back like this, and the closest I can come up with is Tommy John, who compiled a 2-11 record over two seasons with Cleveland before being traded to the South Side, where he became the Tommy John of Cooperstown-worthy credentials. But John was 20- and 21-years old when he was getting his head pounded in; Rodon was already 22 his rookie year with the Sox. So, so far, so sui generis. That’s’ the good news, Rodon pitching six shutout innings last night in a 3-0 win over the Royals. Ah, but closer Liam Hendriks. There, I see problems. How ’bout it, Ethan Katz? What do you see, coach? By my count, Hendriks yielded base hits to three straight batters over two games after getting ahead 0-2 in the count. That was good for a loss to the Reds followed by two-out, bases-loaded fun with the Royals. If the numbers are to be believed, velocity is not to blame; Hendriks is throwing at 97-98 mph. Little if any break on his pitches, maybe? But I’m not the pitching coach, just a garrulous fan.