Rodon's goal in next start for Chicago White Sox? Initiate contact

There is so much to remember about Carlos Rodon's last start for the Chicago White Sox.

And so much to forget.

Taking the mound against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, Rodon made history. The 24-year-old lefty became the first pitcher in baseball since at least 1913 to have 11 strikeouts in a start that lasted 4 innings or less.

The 11 strikeouts matched his career high, and it showed how overpowering Rodon's fastballs and sliders can be.

But the strikes were few and far between, and that's why Rodon lasted just 4 innings against the Cubs while throwing 98 pitches and allowing 4 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.

When he gets back on the mound against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, Rodon is aiming to be much more efficient.

"I've punched out 11 before, but you'd think, try to go 11 through 7 (innings)," Rodon said. "I just have to try to get them to put the ball in play, make them swing the bat.

"Right now, you can see they're up there taking the first strike to make me throw pitches. That's two games in a row where I'm at 60 pitches in two innings. It's tough to go deep in a game for your team when that happens."

Before his abbreviated outing against the Cubs, Rodon lasted just 3⅔ innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 19, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits (4 home runs) and 3 walks while throwing 94 pitches.

There is definitely cause for concern, but Rodon did miss almost all of spring training and the first three months of the season after being diagnosed with bursitis in his upper left biceps.

With the White Sox now in full-blown rebuild mode, Rodon has plenty of time to get himself right again.

In each of his first two seasons in the Sox's rotation, Rodon struggled early and came on strong.

"We saw him in the second half last year," general manager Rick Hahn said. "He was outstanding down the stretch (7-3, 3.45 ERA) once he found that rhythm. It's just a matter of him getting that consistency right now.

"The stuff's there, the health, knock on wood, is there. So it's just a matter of him finding that consistency that he showed during a long stretch of the second half of 2016."

Rodon, expected to be the Sox's No. 1 starter now that Jose Quintana has been traded, has made only 5 starts since coming off the DL. He's still looking to find the rhythm.

"We're trying to go back to square one, where the success was at the end of last season," Rodon said. "As you see, the command is not there. Very inconsistent. I have to find the consistency again, find the strike zone, find the strike zone."