The Toronto Blue Jays are still trying to figure out what they have in Yariel Rodriguez.
Signed last winter after wrapping up his fifth season playing pro in Japan, Rodriguez arrived in Dunedin this spring and dealt with some injuries early on. He didn’t debut until the Jays’ 15th game of the season on April 13th, making his first of 20 starts heading into his final one Saturday. There were games and stretches along the way where Rodriguez looked as advertised and as many where he could find his game whatsoever.
Still, he found a way to continue to provide relatively productive innings, posting a 4.41 ERA across 81 and two-thirds innings. The biggest issue? The Jays went 1-7 with him on the mound, often failing to outscore the warts in Rodriguez’s game. However, they signed him to a five-year, $32-milion deal, and are clearly committed to him in the long-term, and the team could rely on him in a big way in 2025.
Saturday, a day after the Jays got crushed 15-5 by the Marlins, Rodriguez will look to lead them to victory in the seasons penultimate game.
First pitch: 3:07 p.m. EST.
TV & Radio: Sportsnet, SN590, TVA Sports.
Odds via Bet365:
Moneyline: TOR -170; MIA +145.
Spread: TOR -1.5 +130; MIA +1.5 -155.
Over/Under: o8.5 -115; u8.5 -105.
*Odds at the time of publishing. Odds subject to change.
Starting pitchers:
| Name | Team | GS
|
W
|
L
|
IP
|
ERA
|
xERA
|
ERA-
|
FIP
|
WHIP
|
K/9
|
BB/9
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yariel Rodríguez | TOR | 20 | 1 | 7 | 81.2 | 4.41 | 4.08 | 111 | 4.46 | 1.32 | 8.82 | 4.19 |
| Xzavion Curry | 2 Tms | 4 | 1 | 2 | 37.2 | 5.02 | 5.56 | 124 | 4.63 | 1.12 | 6.45 | 1.43 |
Lineups:
BLUE JAYS:
- G Springer (R) RF
- N Lukes (L) LF
- V Guerrero Jr. (R) DH
- S Horwitz (L) 1B
- A Kirk (R) C
- E Clement (R) SS
- A Barger (L) 3B
- D Schneider (R) 2B
- J Loperfido (L) CF
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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.