LA Angels: Chris Rodriguez was excellent in first start

Evan Desai

Chris Rodriguez, LA Angels. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday, Chris Rodriguez was called back up to the LA Angels Major League roster.

He was set to make his first start of his career after looking good in the pen this season. In his 13 relief appearances, he gave up just eight earned runs in 19.2 IP.

He had been starting games in both AA and AAA after he was sent down the last time, and the Angels wanted to give him his chance at the Major League level this week. He got the job done.

Chris Rodriguez had a nice debut start for the LA Angels on Monday.

Chris Rodriguez recorded 6+ IP on Monday for the LA Angels, and only gave up three earned runs. That’s not bad for a first Major League start.

Rodriguez recorded seven strikeouts in that time, and only walked two batters. He also only gave up four hits.

The former fourth round pick showed plenty of promise in a year where the Angels have proven that they really want to load up on young pitching.

Rodriguez now has a 3.86 ERA in his 14 games, while striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings. He still hasn’t given up any home runs this year.

It’s encouraging because in Rodriguez’s last four games before being sent down, he gave up four earned runs in four appearances. For him to bounce back like this in his first game back was important.

Rodriguez was ranked as the fourth best prospect for the Angels not too long ago, and he certainly showcased what he’s capable of in his first start.

Evan Desai

Evan Desai has covered MLB with FanSided for 3 years, first as a contributor for FanSided's New York sports publication--Empire Writes Back--and now as the expert at Halo Hangout, the Angels publication for the network. He also runs Reign Of Troy, the USC FanSided publication, and has covered college sports since 2019--most notably USC and UCLA for the Pac-12 Network, University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University for Arizona PBS, and Arizona State University for Sports Illustrated's ASU publication. He has also run the Clippers FanSided publication in the past, Clipperholics, and has made two stops at NBC Sports.