Eduardo Rodriguez's Slimmed-Down Pitching Dominance

0:00It's April 4th. Welcome to MLB News Today, Powered by AI. I'm Cory with the Story. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez is turning heads this spring, showing up slimmer by over 20 pounds and dominating on the mound. He's pitched scoreless ball through two starts, going five innings against the Dodgers and seven against the Braves on Friday, not allowing a single. Earned, run. That success comes from a smarter pitch mix, ditching his heavy reliance on the four seam fastball. He's cranked up his change-up usage big time and mixing in more curveballs, a tweak he picked up after a rough outing in the World Baseball Classic. Against the Dominican Republic, manager Tori Lovolo can't get enough of it, calling this the best version of Rodriguez since he joined the team. The lefty himself says he's throwing all his pitches with rhythm, especially sinking well with catcher James McCann, and it's paying off against top. Hitters like Ronald Okuna Jr., digging into the numbers

1:00Rodriguez bumped his change-up rate from around 23 percent the last two years to 35 percent now while dropping fastballs from over 40 percent down to 27. His velocity is steady and 91.6 miles per hour, but location is spot on, generating whiffs and weak contact. Healthy after missing chunks of the past two seasons with shoulder issues, this 33-year old has 46 million dollars on the line over the next two years. The diamond backs are banking on this dialed in Rodriguez to fuel their playoff push.