A’s rough up Rodriguez in rout of Rangers

As good as the Texas Rangers’ starting rotation was for 2 1/2 weeks, games like the one Wandy Rodriguez experienced Wednesday night are bound to happen.

Same for right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez on Tuesday night.

There’s no Constitutional amendment or an 11th commandment or a mathematical formula that says a pitcher must suffer a meltdown during a major league season. But years of history say it’s going to happen, even to the best of pitchers.

Rodriguez isn’t the best, but he’s been pretty good since joining the rotation in late April. After four innings and a season-high eight runs Wednesday, however, he might be the frontrunner to be the odd man out when Matt Harrison or Martin Perez is ready to come off the disabled list.

Oakland scored five times in the first inning, highlighted by a Brett Lawrie grand slam, and Josh Phegley took Rodriguez deep in the second as the A’s rolled to an 8-2 victory that sent the Rangers to a fourth consecutive loss.

“He couldn’t find the range with his breaking ball, and they were on his fastball,” manager Jeff Banister said. “Tough night when you get down eight runs early. We tried to get as much out of Wandy as possible.”

It’s possible the Rangers have gotten as much out of Rodriguez as possible.

Groans and shoulder shrugs accompanied Rodriguez when he signed a minor league deal in April, and doubt accompanied him when he became the full-time replacement for fellow left-hander Derek Holland.

However, Rodriguez was part of the Rangers’ pitching resurgence after two disappointing seasons in Pittsburgh. In May, he set a club record for consecutive batters retired. He had allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts this season entering No. 13.

“Before tonight I felt like Wandy had competed very well and given us competitive outings,” Banister said. “Really veteran outings for us. Had gotten the outs when he needed to and able to move the ball around and pitched well.

“This is the first time he’s thrown the shoe.”

But something has to give, though general manager Jon Daniels is hesitant to make any formal plays. He and the Rangers have learned that nothing can be assumed when it comes to their pitchers’ health.

While the current five starters are healthy, that might not be the case in two days or two weeks. While Harrison and Perez are healthy on rehab assignment, there’s no guarantee they will stay that way.

So, the Rangers aren’t planning to give Rodriguez a bullpen spot or a gold watch just yet. But right-handers Yovani Gallardo and Colby Lewis aren’t going to lose their rotation spots, which leaves Rodriguez and righties Nick Martinez and Gonzalez.

Martinez and Gonzalez can be optioned to the minor leagues, and Martinez has some bullpen experience. He also has a 2.77 ERA, while Gonzalez owns a sporty 2.27 ERA.

Both are young and very much a piece of the future puzzle.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, is 36, pitching on a one-year deal and has a 4.06 ERA after Wednesday. He’s being paid a relatively small amount. The Rangers don’t want to lose him and aren’t looking to rid themselves of pitching depth, but baseball can be a nasty business sometimes.

“I had a big problem with my location, a lot of hanging breaking balls and my fastball, too,” said Rodriguez, who was also surprised by a lack of velocity. “I couldn’t do anything with this one, so I just need to win the next outing.”

Barring something unforeseen, which is always a possibility with the Rangers, Rodriguez will start again next week, and the Rangers expect that he will bounce back.

“I’m sure Wandy will erase this one from his memory bank,” Banister said. “If I know him well, he’ll figure out what went wrong and move on.”

Harrison is expected to make at least one more rehab start. Rodriguez and Harrison, who pitched Wednesday at Double A Frisco, are on the same schedule. Perez expects that he will need three more starts on his rehab assignment.

The Rangers have learned that nothing can be assumed when it comes to their pitchers’ health, and they haven’t made any plans to move Rodriguez out of the rotation.

After Wednesday, though, he might be the leading candidate to lose his spot when one is needed for Harrison or Perez.

This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 10:52 PM with the headline "A’s rough up Rodriguez in rout of Rangers."