Alex Cora Excited To Have Andrew Cashner Join Red Sox’s Starting Rotation

The Boston Red Sox added some depth to their starting rotation when they acquired Andrew Cashner from the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.

The right-hander has been pitching well this season, and likely will fill the fifth spot in the rotation. With Nathan Eovaldi moving to the bullpen when he returns from the injured list, Boston knew it had to do something in order to bolster its pitching.

Alex Cora, for one, is a fan of the move.

“He has been throwing the ball well,” Cora said Saturday, via MassLive.com. “He’s a veteran. His stuff is actually a tick up this year compared to others. They made some adjustments with him with Baltimore as far as usage. We’ll keep doing the same thing. I’ve been watching pitch the last month. Good fastball, good changeup, the breaking ball is playing. He has been going six innings against some tough competition. We won’t change too much.

“He competes,” he added. “He’s not afraid to attack the strike zone and induce people to weak contact. I know there’s not too many swings and misses but with the adjustments he has made this year with the Orioles, he has gotten better.”

Cashner will make his Red Sox debut Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. The right-hander certainly should provide a boost as a starter. He boasts a 9-3 record with a 3.83 ERA in 17 starts this year with Baltimore.