K-Rod knows how to adjust for four-out saves

DETROIT — Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 31st career save of four or more outs when he finished off the Angels on Friday night. For Rodriguez, they’re almost like 62 different outings.

It’s a mind trick. And as Rodriguez gets older, the mental preparation is as important as the physical work required to extend an outing. Like a sprinter taking his turn at a middle-distance race, he has to pace himself in a role that normally allows him to go all-out from the first pitch.

“You have to save some energy for coming back in the ninth,” Rodriguez explained on Saturday. “You have to save some to come back out. The second [key] is finding a way to keep moving. Nowadays we have the batting cages right below the dugout, so it’s easy for me to go down there and keep stretching, keep tossing and make sure to not cool off. If I cool off, it’s not going to be good. That adrenaline, everything is off. …

“You have to reset. You have to get back to a plan. In the eighth, you have to get that guy and you have to find a way to get through it. Once you’re done with him, you have to reset and get back to business. But it is difficult.”

Rodriguez hasn’t done it often in recent years, but he has been good at it. Just …

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