The Boston Red Sox recently acquired right-hander Andrew Cashner from the Orioles and he’s set to make his Fenway Park debut tonight against Toronto.
The trade deadline is just over two weeks away and the Red Sox took a chance in bolstering their starting rotation. Over the weekend Dave Dombrowski made a move that would bring Baltimore righty Andrew Cashner to Boston. He’ll make his debut in a Sox uniform tonight against the Blue Jays.
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This has been a rough season for the Boston starting rotation with the squad being very Jekyll and Hyde depending on the night. Cashner has had a strong go of things so far in 2019 with a 9-3 record and a 3.83 ERA. Tonight will be a good test of the right-hander as the Jays tend to show they won’t go down easily. Luckily for Boston, Cashner has a 0.69 ERA against the Jays and is 2-0 on the year.
The move to get Cashner could be considered a surprise by some but was also a necessity. It’s not surprising that Dombrowski made a move to get another arm but Cashner’s name wasn’t one that was being tossed around. With the news earlier this month that Nathan Eovaldi would be moved to the bullpen upon his return, it was a must that Boston got another starter.
Boston has been using a rotating cast of characters to fill the void left by the injured Eovaldi and haven’t had any success on the fifth day. Now they have an honest starter back in the mix and hopefully won’t need to turn that final day of the rotation into a bullpen game. Cashner can provide some stability and may also be able to give the bullpen a rest if he can pitch deep enough into the game.
Cashner spoke about the move to the Red Sox and was pretty candid about being thrown into the mix in the AL East.
"“I’m definitely looking forward to the (AL East) race,” he said. “That’s something I’ve never been in really. But I don’t think it’s going to inspire me much. I think it might give me more of a boost of velo. As far as inspired, you have to prove yourself every year in this game. For me, every year I’m trying to prove myself that I still belong here.”"
Cashner is in his tenth season in the majors and is pretty consistent with his numbers. A career 4.00 ERA may no be the prettiest number on the stat sheet but it’s also far better then what the Red Sox have been offering on the fifth day this season. He’ll be a solid addition for a battle tired Red Sox pitching staff but it won’t be for long as he’s set to become a free agent at the conclusion of the season.
Boston has a heavy diet filled with the AL East on the upcoming schedule and they’ll need al the help that they can get. Having Cashner who is familiar with the division will be a plus as he knows the teams well. The Red Sox need to use this AL East heavy calendar to their advantage and make up the deficit they currently find themselves in. The addition of a solid pitcher like Andrew Cashner can only boost those odds.