SF Giants delay Carlos Rodón's scheduled start while he deals with blister
The SF Giants will be delaying left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón's next turn in the rotation to Friday, according to a tweet by MLB.com's Maria Guardado. Rodón was scheduled to start for the Giants on Tuesday.
Rodón was fantastic in his last appearance in the Giants' 4-1 victory over Atlanta last Wednesday. Rodón surrendered just one unearned run over five innings pitched and racked up eight strikeouts. However, Rodón was removed from the game after throwing just 71 pitches. Giants manager Gabe Kapler revealed after the game that the move was precautionary since Rodón was dealing with a cracked fingernail and blister.
Rodón has been pitching through the issue for some time, but it appears that it has caused him more discomfort this month. Granted, with the Giants clearly out of the playoff picture, it's also possible that San Francisco is just being extra cautious with their best starting pitcher.
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The Giants signed Rodón to a two-year, $44 million contract last offseason, and the southpaw has been fantastic in his first season with the team. In fact, it now seems inevitable that he will use the opt-out in his contract this offseason to become a free agent, where he is set to cash in.
Rodón has already set two franchise strikeout records this season and is currently leading the National League in strikeouts. On the season, the 29-year-old has a 2.84 ERA in 167.2 innings pitched with 220 strikeouts across 29 starts.
The Giants could simply turn to another bullpen game, especially since Sean Hjelle only threw 50 pitches in his outing on Saturday against the Dodgers. The Giants also recently claimed right-handed pitcher Jharel Cotton, who has experience as a big-league starter. However, the SF Giants have yet to announce who will take Carlos Rodón's spot in the rotation on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.
