The Boston Red Sox found a way to turn a routine win into something that stung a little more for Orioles fans on Monday.
In a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels - Boston’s fifth straight win - Adley Rutschman delivered the kind of swing that makes a score line feel secondary. In the bottom of the second inning, he launched a 112.1 mph home run off Grayson Rodriguez, the former Orioles first-rounder who was on the mound for the Angels.
For Baltimore, that pairing carried extra bite. Rodriguez and Rutschman were the Orioles’ top pitching and position-player prospects during the club’s rebuild, drafted in back-to-back first rounds as Baltimore tore things down after trading Manny Machado in the summer of 2018. At one point, they looked like the centerpieces of whatever came next.
That’s not how it played out.
Rutschman has gone on to make three All-Star teams in his first five seasons. Rodriguez, meanwhile, never fully locked down a place in Baltimore, with injuries complicating his progress along the way. He pitched in only 43 games with a 4.11 ERA in an Orioles uniform before being dealt to the Angels last winter for Taylor Ward, who is now with the Seattle Mariners.
The timing only made it worse for Orioles fans. Boston’s blast came on a Monday when Baltimore finally snapped a six-game losing streak, but the win did little to change the broader picture after the Orioles had been swept over the weekend in their own ballpark.
It was the sort of moment that lands with a little extra force because of who was involved. And, as the source column put it, “What fun is it to have division rivals if you can't inflict a little extra pain every once in a while?”
In Other News...
Red Sox Prospect Is Easing One Big Adley Rutschman Trade Fear
Hayden Mullins has been one of the quieter bright spots in the aftermath of Bostons Aug. 3 deal for Adley Rutschman, and the pitching prospect is doing his part to ease some of the early anxiety that followed the move. Mullins has continued piling up solid outings, trimming his season ERA and giving the Red Sox a better-looking strikeout-to-walk ratio as he settles into the stretch run.
The encouraging part for Boston is that Mullins has not just been serviceable, he has been consistently effective, which matters when a trade of that size invites instant second-guessing. The other side of the equation has been encouraging too, since the players Boston received in the swap have also turned in strong work in Baltimores system, leaving the deal in a place where both clubs can point to early returns and still wonder how it will age. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face A Tough Ranger Suarez Decision At The Worst Time
Bostons rotation has started to show the strain that tends to surface in September, with a few starters wobbling in recent outings and the group lacking the crispness it had earlier in the year. That is what makes the conversation around Ranger Suarez so tricky. The Red Sox need stability, but they also need to decide how much weight to give a pitchers recent form versus the kind of track record that can matter most once the games tighten up.
Jonathan Papelbon has already made clear where he stands, saying he would leave Suarez out of a playoff rotation because of the way things have gone lately. Still, Suarez brings something Boston cannot ignore if the club is building a postseason plan for October: he has been effective in the playoffs before, with a strong ERA and WHIP that suggest a starter who can handle pressure when it matters most. The Red Sox are being asked to choose between what they have seen recently and what Suarez has shown in bigger moments, and that is not an easy call this time of year. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Bullpen Just Took A Late-Season Turn Fans Feared
Justin Slaten had only just started to throw again in his recovery before the right elbow inflammation symptoms flared up and shut him back down. For a Red Sox bullpen that has managed to keep its performance in a strong place, the setback is a reminder that late-season stability can change quickly, especially when one of the relievers the club hoped to count on is not able to build any momentum.
The encouraging part for Boston is that Tanner Houck and Garrett Crochet are both moving ahead in rehab assignments, giving the staff at least a chance to get reinforcements later on. Slatens return, though, is now far less certain than it was even a short time ago, and for a bullpen that has been one of the teams quiet strengths, his situation is becoming one of the more important health stories to watch. [Read more 🡒]