{"id":627720,"date":"2026-03-17T08:19:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T08:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/627720\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T08:19:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T08:19:23","slug":"d-backs-eduardo-rodriguez-gets-the-start-for-venezuela-against-usa-in-wbc-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/627720\/","title":{"rendered":"D-Backs\u2019 Eduardo Rodriguez gets the start for Venezuela against USA in WBC Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI \u2014 As the lone Arizona Diamondbacks representative remaining in the tournament, left-hander Eduardo Rodr\u00edguez will take the mound for Team Venezuela against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic final.<\/p>\n

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Mar 11, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Venezuela pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (52) delivers a pitch against the Dominican Republic during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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It marks the first time the two teams will meet in the championship game in the tournament\u2019s history. The assignment highlights Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s experience and the trust Venezuela has placed in him to deliver in a high-pressure environment, with a strong connection to Arizona following closely behind.<\/p>\n

Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s path through the WBC has been uneven. In his last outing against the Dominican Republic, he allowed three earned runs in 2.2 innings, surrendering multiple home runs despite recording five strikeouts. This performance showed that while Rodr\u00edguez still can generate swings and misses, he faces a significant challenge against a Team USA lineup filled with All-Stars and MVP-caliber talent.<\/p>\n

Still, Venezuela\u2019s decision to hand him the ball in the final speaks to their confidence in his ability and the direction they want to take.<\/p>\n

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Mar 11, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Venezuela pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (52) returns to the dugout against the Dominican Republic during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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With more than a decade of MLB experience, including nearly 30 starts for Arizona in 2025, Rodr\u00edguez has faced many of these hitters before. Inconsistency has been a concern during his time in the desert, reflected in his 5.02 ERA last season. However, those numbers don\u2019t fully capture his upside \u2014 particularly in stretches where he has been dominant, such as his strikeout-heavy outing against a powerful Dominican lineup.<\/p>\n

Arizona invested in Rodr\u00edguez as a stabilizing presence in the rotation, and his usage in the Classic offers a glimpse into how he performs against elite competition.<\/p>\n

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Mar 14, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Venezuela starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (57) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Nicaragua at LoanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

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Pitching in a winner-take-all international final presents a different level of pressure. Rodr\u00edguez will not only be tasked with setting the tone for Venezuela but also carrying that momentum into the Diamondbacks\u2019 season as they look to bounce back after missing the playoffs in consecutive years.<\/p>\n

The stage is set for a high-stakes matchup, with one of Arizona\u2019s own positioned firmly in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Team Venezuela and Team USA will face off for World Baseball Classic gold on Tuesday, March 17, at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI \u2014 As the lone Arizona Diamondbacks representative remaining in the tournament, left-hander Eduardo Rodr\u00edguez will take the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2404],"tags":[146,22,4314,5,38,756,5885,10498,4,72428,4819,37145,27209,4657,8814],"class_list":{"0":"post-627720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arizona-diamondbacks","8":"tag-arizona","9":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","10":"tag-arizonadiamondbacks","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-diamondbacks","13":"tag-eduardo-rodriguez","14":"tag-loandepot-park","15":"tag-mandatory-credit","16":"tag-mlb","17":"tag-sam-navarro-imagn","18":"tag-team-usa","19":"tag-team-venezuela","20":"tag-the-dominican-republic","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-venezuela"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116243542043823423","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}