Rodon shows just what he can do for White Sox
Carlos Rodon is going to be in the White Sox' rotation at some point this season.
After making his first major-league start Saturday night in Game 2 of an interleague doubleheader against the Reds at U.S. Cellular Field, Rodon made a strong case for keeping the job on a full-time basis.
"I've always been a starter, and I think (manager) Robin (Ventura) and Coop (pitching coach Don Cooper), they understand that I am a starter," Rodon said. "It's just a transition. We're just transitioning into it and like I said, like Robin said, like everyone said, 'This game is about the next day or tomorrow.' You're preparing for tomorrow after today and winning tomorrow."
Rodon led the Sox to an 8-2 win over Cincinnati in Saturday's nightcap. The Reds rolled over the White Sox 10-4 in Game 1.
Understandably anxious at first, Rodon walked the first two Cincinnati hitters he faced but didn't allow a run in the first inning due to a fluke 3-4 double play.
"Just a little overthrowing, I guess," Rodon said. "I just settled in, smoothed things out and started throwing it over the plate."
Rodon (1-0) went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits. Leaning on a biting slider and fastball that was 95-98 mph all night, he also had 8 strikeouts.
"He started out a little shaky and we had a fortunate play for us in the first inning to get him out of it," Ventura said. "He has some poise. He stayed with it. I thought even knowing how the first game went and knowing he has to eat up some innings, it was a big spot and he came through.
"I thought he battled. Even after giving up the 2 runs he still battled and got through it. That was a big spot for us, for him to come through right there."
That leads to an obvious question … does Rodon stay in the rotation or go back to the bullpen?
"He's on the team," Ventura said. "He stays on the team."
The Sox are well aware of Rodon's talent and massive upside.
But before putting the 22-year-old left-hander in the starting five and removing Hector Noesi or John Danks, the White Sox have to decide if the time is right. This is Rodon's first major-league season, and the Sox would like to keep his innings in the 150-160 range.
That can be accomplished if the White Sox keep last June's No. 3 overall draft pick as a starter, but they're not ready to announce it yet.
Swapping Rodon from either Noesi or Danks obviously makes the Sox better.
"It's not like this kid came out of high school," Ventura said of the former North Carolina State star. "He has a lot of appearances in big situations for an amateur. In spring training you saw what he had and we're just letting him pitch. He wasn't shocked by it and he wasn't intimidated by it. He knows what to do."
Rodon got some rare run support from the White Sox' offense.
Alexei Ramirez hit his first home run of the season (No. 100 for his career) in Game 1 and added a 2-run shot in Game 2. The shortstop was 5-for-8 with 2 homers and 4 RBI in the doubleheader, raising his average to .237.
"He can do that," Ventura said. "He can go swinging through everything and the next thing you know he gets hot and he runs with it for a while. Hopefully this is a good sign to turn the corner for him.
"Everybody's frustrated that's got a low average right now and is not getting done offensively. But these guys stick together and it'll get better. I think all of them have that feeling right now."
The Sox' offense was pretty quiet in Game 1 against Reds starter Johnny Cueto.
Ramirez ruined Cueto's shutout bid with two outs in the seventh inning when he hit the milestone homer.
"It means a lot because it's part of the work that I've been doing here for years," Ramirez said through a translator. "To hit the home run was a relief and something good. I'm happy for that."
• Follow Scot's White Sox and baseball reports on Twitter@scotgregor.