Eduardo Rodríguez dominates but a career first remains elusive

Eduardo Rodríguez delivered another masterful performance on the mound Wednesday in Pittsburgh, pitching eight scoreless innings and allowing only two strikeouts against the Pirates. This outing further solidified the Venezuelan pitcher's dominance this season, marking his 14th quality start in 22 appearances.

Rodríguez's stellar play has placed him among the National League's elite pitchers. He ranks second in WAR for pitchers (4.7), fourth in earned run average (2.48), and third in innings pitched (130.2). His current effectiveness is the best of his career, nearing the personal bests he set in 2019, a year he was a Cy Young finalist.

However, a significant career milestone eludes the 33-year-old left-hander: a complete game. In Pittsburgh, Rodríguez seemed to sense an opportunity, glancing at manager Torey Lovullo after completing the eighth inning with 105 pitches. The Diamondbacks, however, are in a tight playoff race, and their bullpen is depleted from recent extra-inning games. Lovullo prioritized protecting his ace for the postseason, where the team has a 17-3 record with Rodríguez starting.

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He's never thrown a complete game. He's a pitcher who has been performing very well for the team, so I would like him to achieve it at least once. That's why I went directly to talk to Torey and told him he could reach 120 pitches.

"He's never thrown a complete game," shortstop Geraldo Perdomo told MLB.com, urging Lovullo to let Rodríguez pitch the ninth. "He's a pitcher who has been performing very well for the team, so I would like him to achieve it at least once. That's why I went directly to talk to Torey and told him he could reach 120 pitches."

Lovullo remained firm, stating, "He and Banny were insisting together for him to reach 120, but that was never going to happen. You know, 120 pitches for him at this point in the season is risky; maybe at another time and place it could happen," he admitted. "But the limit that..."

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He and Banny were insisting together for him to reach 120, but that was never going to happen. You know, 120 pitches for him at this point in the season is risky; maybe at another time and place it could happen.