The Yankees hand the ball to big lefty Carlos Rodon on Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours after a tough 4-3 loss to the Orioles on Monday. Will Warren’s hanging sweeper proved Ryan O’Hearn’s three-run home run the difference-maker.
Fans may be unaware, but Rodon himself is hoping to reverse a trend: His own personal history against Baltimore.
What does this mean? Certainly not that Rodon, armed with his pitch selection, is approaching the Charm City whistling “Farmer in the Dell,” nor did he make some off-color or otherwise offensive quote about Baltimore.
Simply put: Carlos Rodon has never pitched well against the Orioles in his career. In seven games (six starts), he is 0-3 with a 5.58 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He’s made two starts against the O’s as a Yankee, posting a 9.00 ERA and never lasting more than four innings.
Now, to be fair, this is still a nothing late-April tilt. The Yankees are in first place and still will be if they lose this game and, subsequently, the series. Contrastingly, it would be a stolen win for last place Baltimore.
Rather, this is more of a principled must-win for the Yankees. Monday’s loss came down to one mistake from Warren, a rookie still learning how to pitch, not just throw. Max Fried may have the elite numbers but Rodon, particularly after starting Opening Day, is basically the ace of the staff. This is his third season in the Bronx and he knows how to navigate the field.
That means looking at his two starts against the Orioles last season and knowing what not to do. May 2, a 7-2 loss at Camden Yards, has a simple message: relying solely on fastball-slider is a one-way ticket to giving up home runs. Rodon, in this particular game allowed three in four innings.
Fast forward to a 6-5 loss on July 14, and this one isn’t Rodon’s fault at all. In fact, his pitch selection was solid from fastball to the changeup he learned last season. His only blemish was needing 98 pitches to complete four innings of two-run ball, plus a two-run shot allowed to Gunnar Henderson. The reason: Rodon threw him too many fastballs and sliders.
The rest can be blamed on Clay Holmes’ blown save. Plus, this capped a series of six starts in which Rodon’s stuff simply wasn’t there: 0-5 with an awful 9.67 ERA.
That said, tonight largely depends on Rodon. He can win in Baltimore. This isn’t some case of the Yankees hanging a 6.29 ERA on Bartolo Colon over two decades. Rodon just drew the wrong cards a couple of times.
He’s a different pitcher now than he was in 2025, just how Carlos Rodon 2024 was a new man. Especially compared to the oft-injured Rodon of ’23, no less.
It’s all a matter of putting last season behind him, ignoring the splits, and going full ace mode. Just as he has all seaosn.
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