4 years agoPittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez allowed a run in his third straight appearance on Thursday, finishing with one run allowed on two hits while striking out one in 1 1/3 innings against the Orioles. After Thursday's appearance, Rodriguez has now allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk with two strikeouts in his last 2 2/3 innings of work. Rodriguez entered Spring Training looking to retain his job as the closer, and while he will likely be the Opening Day closer still, his performance this spring as well as the continued success of pitchers like David Bednar and Kyle Crick will likely mean he has a shorter leash to work with this season. Rodriguez is a late-round closer at ADP 218, but managers may want to also consider targeting Bednar or Crick in case they get a shot to take over early in the season.--Michael Grennell - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com