Andrew Cashner Offers Very Blunt Assessment Of Rocky Debut With Red Sox

Andrew Cashner’s debut with the Boston Red Sox was underwhelming, to say the least.

Cashner, acquired from the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday in exchange for two low-level prospects, isn’t expected to save the Red Sox’s season, but the right-hander could go a long way toward stabilizing Boston’s rotation. He’ll need to pitch better than he did Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, though, and this wasn’t lost on Cashner after the Red Sox’s 10-4 defeat at Fenway Park.

“I don’t think I was very sharp,” Cashner told reporters. “Didn’t really command my offspeed very well. Didn’t really do a lot of things well, but I felt I kept us in the game. It wasn’t very good, especially after we scored those runs to tie the game back up.”

When the dust settled, Cashner allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks. He surrendered two home runs, struck out only two batters and never really found a rhythm.

The Red Sox’s offense did its best to overcome Cashner’s early troubles, rallying to tie the game 4-4 with three runs in the fifth inning. But Cashner couldn’t shut down the Blue Jays in the ensuing frame, as Justin Smoak homered and Freddy Galvis singled to begin the sixth inning before Red Sox manager Alex Cora took the ball from his starter.

“I was just more rusty and was out of my routine,” said Cashner, who hadn’t pitched in 10 days due to the Major League Baseball All-Star break and Saturday’s trade. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the routine next week. I felt like they did make an adjustment on me. That’s what good teams do.”

Perhaps rust really played a factor and Tuesday’s start will prove nothing more than a blip on the radar for Cashner, who had pitched very well since the beginning of June. But it wasn’t the best first impression for a team struggling to achieve consistency, particularly in the back of its rotation.