Rubby De La Rosa didn't sugar coat it when he was asked about his performances against the Dodgers last season. He was bad, the Diamondbacks pitcher said last week.
So bad the D-backs tweaked their rotation down the stretch so as to avoid De La Rosa facing the Dodgers a final time.
The right-hander was 0-3 with an 11.21 ERA in four starts against L.A. last season. After a rough first start this season, De La Rosa gets another shot at the Dodgers Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
"I tried to be too perfect, pitch 200 percent," said De La Rosa, who gave up 28 hits including seven home runs in 17 2/3 innings against the Dodgers in 2015. "... But this year I'm going to control my emotions better."
De La Rosa doesn't carry any momentum from his first -- he lasted just 3 1/3 innings and gave up six earned runs against the Cubs. But a brisk, one-inning relief appearance two days later showed the potential the D-backs have hoped to consistently tap into for more than a year now.
"It was a positive experience for him out there," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "His tempo was better and he just threw his pitches with conviction, which was important."
That one inning came after De La Rosa spoke to Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez. The two have known each other for years. Back in the Dominican Republic, De La Rosa's grandmother was a nanny for Martinez.
"I think Ruby thinks too much and he overuses his pitches," Martinez tweeted during De La Rosa's start against the Cubs. "He doesn't know how great of a stuff he has, so he still doesn't trust it."
Hale called the analysis spot on. In his relief appearance, De La Rosa pitched as though he was heeding the advice.
"He said, 'Be aggressive to home plate; throw the fastball,'" De La Rosa said his talk with Martinez. "He said, 'Believe me, they're not going to catch it. It's not easy for people to catch 95 mph so be aggressive.' That was the key."
That is the approach De La Rosa said he will use against the Dodgers, with whom he first came up with before he was traded to the Red Sox and later to the D-backs.
"I have to attack guys more," De La Rosa said.
