Friday’s game at Yankee Stadium was a night to turn back the clock for Carlos Rodon and bad news for the Yankees.
The left-hander, who has bounced back nicely from a disastrous first season in the Bronx, returned to his 2023 form against the Braves, allowing just eight runs (seven earned) in just 3 2/3 innings.
And he was booed off the mound by a crowd that had seen too many such performances from Rodon a year earlier.
It was the most runs Rodon has allowed this season and he hasn’t allowed more than the 11 he allowed since giving up 12 hits to the Yankees in 2016 with the White Sox.
And Rodon was just coming off a tough game in Boston, where the Red Sox gave up five runs in five innings against him.
His pitching efficiency was poor again, throwing 109 pitches to complete five innings at Fenway Park and 93 pitches to complete four innings on Friday.
Worryingly, Rodon has had a terrible performance in four games against some of the best teams in the AL East.
Including Friday, he has allowed 21 earned runs in 15 2/3 innings against division rivals for a 12.09 ERA.
The game started ugly, as former Mets prospect Jarred Kelenic singled on the first pitch of the game, then Ozzie Albies hit Rodon’s second pitch into the left field stands to give Atlanta a 2-0 lead after just two pitches to play.
Austin Riley hit a solo home run later in the inning to keep the big win going.
The top of the second inning didn’t get off to a very good start either, as Adam Duvall singled and advanced to third base on a Ramon Laureano double.
Another single by Kelenic made the score 4-0, and the Braves added another run in the third inning.
By the time he finished the inning, Rodon had thrown 69 pitches and gave up a two-run homer to Matt Olson in the fourth inning.
Sean Murphy’s RBI double finally ended Rodon’s night after throwing 93 pitches. It wasn’t the game the Yankees were hoping for. Gerrit Cole went over four innings in his season debut on Wednesday, and Luis Gil pitched just 1 1/3 innings on Thursday in the Yankees’ worst outing of the season.
