The development of Eduardo Rodriguez has not been linear.
This shouldn't be a surprise, really. Baseball is littered with top pitching prospects who demonstate initial dominance, only to hit some speed bumps along the way.
It's been that way for Rodriguez. After dominating in his first three starts -- no more than three hits allowed, with seven or more strikeouts -- Rodriguez has since posted a 6.40 ERA.
Of course, mixed in there have been some equally impressive outings. He twice limited the Yankees to two runs. He was magnificient against Detroit last month, allowing one run and one walk in seven innings.
But there have been more than a few stinkers mixed in, too, including Wednesday's blowup against the Marlins (eight runs on nine hits in five innnigs). Wednesday's start was, in fact, the fourth time he's allowed six or more runs in a single start.
Again, these poor starts have to be expected, the price to be paid when a 22-year old -- even one with plus stuff -- is learning how to be consistent at the big league level.
Not every rookie pitcher performs like Dwight Gooden or Vida Blue or other first-year stars who enjoy immediate success.
But it's a reminder that, as the Red Sox construct their 2016 rotation, one that surely involved Rodriguez, there's still more work and development to be done.