BALTIMORE For a guy with a 9.00 ERA in the first inning on the season, perhaps an unusual start time will help Carlos Rodon. Hell take the mound Sunday in Baltimore for an 11:35 a.m. start. Itll be nice and steamy, Rodon said Friday. Ill be ready to go. We all have to play at 11:35, so it doesnt matter. What does matter is that Rodon doesnt end the first half with a similar first-inning performance to the one he had in his previous outing, when he was torched for four runs before he recorded an out in his fifth straight lo s. Carlos Rodon has a 9.00 ERA in the first inning this season. USA TODAY Sports Carlos Rodon will start for the Yankees on Sunday against the Orioles. Charles Wenzelberg In his 19 starts on the season, Rodon has allowed a 1.047 OPS to opposing hitters in the first, to go along with the Jojo Romero Jersey ugly ERA. His numbers are only worse in the seventh, which hes only reached seven times. Explore More Asked Friday about potential adjustments he intended to make against Baltimore, Rodon noted a change in pitch usage early on, perhaps with more curveballs and changeups. His slider and four-seamer were pounded in the first inning at Tampa Bay, but he improved later in the outing with what Rodon said was perhaps a better pitch mix. I hope that kind of outing is a learning experience, Rodon said. You go back and look at what you could have done differently, but then you have to move forward. That starts again Sunday. The most important thing is to come out Sunday and give the team the best chance to win, Rodon said. Whats happened in the past has happened. Theres been good and theres been bad, but thats yesterday. And after a solid start to the season, Rodon is faced with some of the same questions he dealt with in his first season in The Bronx, which was largely awful. Its tough, Rodon said. I want the results to be different. Like the other night, no one wants to give up four runs, not in the first inning in the game. But youve got to snap out of it. We have nine more innings of baseball to play and we have no outs. I have a job to keep it there at four. It happens, but Ive got to be better. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! And he still believes he can figure it out and get back to being the pitcher he was in the two seasons prior to signing with the Yankees. For sure, Rodon said. Results-wise, its not close to where I want to be, obviously, but stuff-wise I feel Im not far off. I have the stuff and some good metrics. Thats great on paper, but its about what actually happens in the game. Now its time to make that happen. Gordon Graceffo Jersey