Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez turned to left field and watched the ball fly without showing any emotion. A two-run home run from Alex Bregman, immediately following Jose Altuve's leadoff walk on six pitches in the fifth inning, was the low-point in his 20th start of the season.
"If you miss over the plate, no matter who's up there, he's going to make good contact," Rodriguez said. "That one was a cutter. I tried to go in on the hands, and I missed over the middle of the plate. He hit it out."
Rodriguez — the ace of the pitching staff — struggled for the second time in his past three starts.