July 27, 2020

Rodriguez Shut Down With Heart Issue; No Team Starts 3-0 For First Time In 66 Years

Eduardo Rodriguez was ordered last Thursday to stop working out for at least a week, as he awaits the results of additional testing after an MRI revealed an issue with his heart that could be related to his contraction of SARS-CoV-2.
It's been weird, man. Hard, weird, scary. First, I got all of the COVID symptoms. Then I got here and now I had this. I was hoping that I could get ready for the season as quickly as I can. Then I get a week off. ... I feel normal. What I have is called myocarditis ... That what came up in the MRI. That's why the doctor told me to take a week, just rest, don't get (my heart rate up) and we'll wait to see what the next MRI says. If it goes away, just go back to work. ... The first time I heard that, I was kind of scared. Now that I know what it is, I'm still scared, but now at least I know exactly what it is.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, usually brought on by a viral infection. It can affect the heart's electrical system and its ability to pump, causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms. Roughly 10-20% of people who have SARS-CoV-2 also have been diagnosed with myocarditis.

Rodriguez has not considered opting out of the season.
No, no, no, no. I want to be pitching yesterday, the day before or today. I want to be out there every time I can. I'm never thinking about getting out of the season. I feel badly every time I see a game and I'm not even in the dugout. ... I love baseball. I've been watching all the games ... I can't just be sitting around and not thinking about baseball. ... I'm going to be watching every game because I like to see where my teammates are at and how they're doing.
No major league team has begun this season 3-0, making 2020 the first year since 1954 that no team has won its first three games. (MLB standings on April 16 and 17, 1954)

Mike Trout hit his first career home run on a 3-0 count on Sunday. Trout almost never swings on 3-0. In 211 plate appearances, he has put the ball in play only six times. He had last swung at a 3-0 pitch in 2016.

Shohei Ohtani made his first start since September 2, 2018, after which he had TJ surgery. He did not record an out against the Athletics and only 15 of his 30 pitches were strikes. Single, walk, walk, walk, single, single.

Reds pitchers struck out 10+ batters in each of their first three games, something the franchise had never done in the previous 127 seasons (since the mound was moved back to 60 feet and six inches in 1893). According to Elias, the Reds had begun a season with two games of 10+ pitcher strikeouts only three other times: 1990, 2013, 2016. Reds pitchers fanned 13 Tigers on Friday, followed by 17 on Saturday and 16 on Sunday.
Competitive Balance!
AL East, AL Central, NL East, Morning of July 26, 2020

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