MILWAUKEE — Back in the spring, when he was still in the midst of his rehab from October elbow surgery, Carlos Rodón acknowledged that his command was a work in progress with a newfound range of motion in his left arm.
After his season debut Sunday, it appears that work remains ongoing.
Rodón issued five walks, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch across 4 ¹/₃ innings, spoiling his first start of the season in what became a 4-3 loss to the Brewers, who swept three games from the Yankees at American Family Field.
“Definitely was hyped up a little bit,” said Rodón, who struck out four, three on sliders. “Obviously need to be better in the aspect of attacking the zone and getting ahead quick. Some stuff to work on.”
The left-hander, who underwent surgery to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur in his left elbow, threw 42 of his 78 pitches for strikes.
Of his five walks, three came leading off an inning, and while he was able to work around the first two, the problem finally came back to haunt him in the fourth inning.
Rodón threw eight straight balls to begin the frame, then two pitches later misfired a 95 mph fastball that hit Andrew Vaughn on the left shoulder to load the bases.
Two outs later, including a sacrifice fly that cut the Yankees lead to 2-1, Rodón sprayed a slider that got past J.C. Escarra to the backstop, allowing the runners to move up to second and third.
That proved costly when former Yankees farmhand Blake Perkins roped a single to center field, scoring both runners for the 3-2 Brewers lead.
“None of that happens if I get ahead and get guys out,” said Rodón, who was not entirely sure why he struggled with his command. “Just a little quick in the delivery, a little forward as I’m releasing the ball, so trying to make the adjustment and pour it in [the strike zone]. Obviously that didn’t work. Just got to be better.”
Rodón’s fastball velocity did tick up — which the Yankees were hoping would be one of the benefits of the surgery — as his four-seamer averaged 95.7 mph, up from 94.1 mph last season.
But he acknowledged that doesn’t matter much if he is not commanding the zone.
“[The walks were] the bugaboo, because I thought overall the stuff was good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “The fastball ticked up, being up here. I thought he had a really good changeup and some good sliders to get some swing-and-miss. … Obviously got to be a little more in the zone, especially starting off innings.”
