Eduardo Rodriguez's 10-Pitch Plea And Why Diamondbacks Fans Are Still Buzzing About It

Whoa, hold up. Did you catch what went down last Sunday with Eduardo Rodriguez? The D-backs lefty was absolutely DEALING, on the cusp of a complete game, and then his manager pulled him. Right there, 100 pitches deep, with one out left in the ninth. Talk about a gut punch, but the dude's still on fire, heading into a Saturday matchup against the Rockies where he's looking to keep that unbeaten streak alive. This whole series is getting wild, especially after the Diamondbacks smacked the Rockies 9-1 on Friday night, celebrating Merrill Kelly's first career complete game. You love to see it!

"I Asked for 10 Pitches" And the Controversy That Followed

Seriously, Rodriguez was cooking. Sunday against the New York Mets, he had a sweet 5-1 lead going into the ninth. He was in the zone, feeling it, and then manager Torey Lovullo made the call. The boos from the home crowd were instant, you could practically hear them echoing from Chase Field. Rodriguez, bless his heart, even admitted he asked Lovullo "for 10 pitches" to try and finish what he started. While he accepted the decision, you gotta respect a player who wants to go the distance. He still put up an incredible outing, allowing just one run on four hits and three walks, striking out four. "We used all the pitches, we just went out there and tried to execute the plan and it worked out well," he said, and you can tell he was proud despite missing that complete game. Lovullo echoed that, calling it a "super clean game for him" where he was "commanding a lot of pitches and just zeroed in with the game plan." With a 4-0 record and a 2.25 ERA, Rodriguez, who's in the third year of his four-year, $80 million deal from 2024, is clearly locked in, and he's got a solid 3-0 record with a 4.93 ERA in six previous starts against the Rockies.

Rockies' Injury Woes and a New Face in the Lineup

Meanwhile, over in Colorado, it's not all sunshine and Rocky Mountain highs. The series-opening loss on Friday was just the start of their bad news. Pitcher Chase Dollander, who's 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA in 10 appearances this season, got shelved on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain. He barely made it out of the second inning in their loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday, which is never a good sign. Dollander tried to put a positive spin on it, calling it "a very minor strain" and "thanking God it wasn't more than that, honestly it's probably a best case scenario with what was shown." You gotta feel for the guy. On a brighter note, the Rockies did get a glimpse of the future on Friday when 24-year-old outfielder Sterlin Thompson made his major league debut, pinch-hitting for Ezequiel Tovar. He grounded out to first, but he was soaking it all in, saying, "A lot of years were put into this." The 2022 first-round pick was tearing it up in Triple-A, hitting .344 with four dingers and 27 RBIs in 36 games before getting the call to replace Tyler Freeman, who's on paternity leave.

So, what's next? The D-backs will try to clinch the series win today in Denver. The Rockies are trotting out Tomoyuki Sugano (3-3, 4.07 ERA), who gave up five runs and three homers in his last start against Philadelphia. This is his first look at Arizona in his two big league seasons. Can Rodriguez keep rolling and seal the series, or will Sugano turn it around? You absolutely don't want to miss it.

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.