Giants option struggling Dereck Rodriguez to Triple-A
SAN FRANCISCO — Dereck Rodriguez will continue his search for the strike zone in the minor leagues.
Rodriguez, who came out of nowhere to become one of the Giants’ best pitchers a year ago, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento Saturday.
Catcher Eric Kratz, who was in the injured list with a left hamstring strain, was reinstated to the roster and is available for the second game of the series against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park.
Rodriguez pitched five innings in Friday night’s 7-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, and although all four runs against him were unearned, control issues which were not in evidence last season were again a problem.
Following the game, Rodriguez acknowledged command was a problem. He told NBC Sports Bay Area Saturday, “I’ll go down there, keep my head up and throw strikes.”
“I talked to Dereck just a couple of hours ago,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s going to go down, try and get things polished up, get the good command that he normally has with all his pitches. He just needs to sharpen up with his command. He says the same thing.”
In eight starts, Rodriguez has a 3-5 record and a 5.05 earned run average, having given up 43 hits in 41 innings.His location issues aren’t just with pitches out of the zone, but within it as well. Rodriguez has already given up nine home runs, second on the Giants to Derek Holland’s 10. That total equals the same amount of home runs Rodriguez allowed in 118 1/3 innings as a rookie.
Last season, opponents hit .223 against Rodriguez. So far in 2019, that average has jumped to .264.
Rodriguez made an impact after having his contract purchased from Sacramento nearly a year ago on May 28, going 6-4 with a 2.81 earned run average. It was the lowest earned run average for a Giants rookie pitcher with 100 or more innings since Hoyt Wilhelm (2.43) in 1952.
The son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Dereck Rodriguez was a position player who converted to pitching fulltime in 2014 and didn’t ascend to Double-A until 2017.
Originally a sixth-round draft pick by Minnesota in 2011, Rodriguez was signed to a minor-league contract contract by the Giants in 2017.
After the Giants loss Friday night, Rodriguez said it felt like a step in the right direction after giving up eight hits and eight earned runs in five innings in his previous start, also against the Reds.
The Reds scored four times on Rodriguez Friday night with the help of an outfield error by Tyler Austin that rendered all the runs as unearned. But Rodriguez did up a walk, an RBI single by Tucker Barnhart, a two-run double to Nick Stenzel and an RBI double down the line to Eugenio Suarez.
“I know I gave up quite a few wlaks today, but if memory served I think only one of them hurt me,” Rodriguez said. “My walks have been up, I’e got to focus on that and lower them a little bit.”
With Rodriguez optioned and left-hander Drew Pomeranz on the injured list with a lat strain (Pomeranz therw on Saturday), Bochy said the Giants were still working out their rotation beyond Sunday’s start by Madison Bumgarner in the series finale.
GIANTS CLAIM ALTHERR: Outfielder Aaron Altherr was claimed off waivers off the Philadelphia Phillies and is expected to be available Tuesday.
As recently as 2017, Altherr was considered one of the top prospects in the Phillies organization after hitting .272 with 19 home runs, 65 RBIs, 24 doubles and 19 home runs in 107 games and 412 at-bats. At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Altherr is also considered a solid outfielder who can play all three positions although he’s mostly been a corner outfielder.
“Obviously we feel this is a guy that has a high ceiling, potential to be an every-day guy at some point,,” Bochy said.
Struggling to get consistent at-bats, Altherr’s batting average plummeted to .181 last season in 285 plate appearances, and he was designated for assignment by the Phillies after starting this season 1-for-29.
Since Altherr will initially be a fourth-outfielder to go along with Mac Williams, Kevin Pillar and Steven Duggar, he isn’t likely to get regular at-bats with the Giants at first either.
To make room for Altherr on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Andrew Moore was designated for assignment.
BELT FEELS FINE: First baseman Brandon Belt, who came up limping after running out a ground ball in the eighth inning Friday, was not in the lineup but available to pinch hit or play, according to Bochy. Pablo Sandoval, the subject of a “Let Pablo Pitch” bobblehead giveaway, got the start at first base.
“Belt’s doing well, his MRI came out clean, said he could play if we needed him,” Bochy said. “We’ll see how he’s doing tomorrow.”
POSEY IMPROVING: Catcher Buster Posey, eligible to return from the seven-day injured list for concussion symptoms on May 15, appears to be making progress.
“He woke up today and said it’s the best he’s felt,” Bochy said.