Andrew Cashner takes the mound at Fenway Park on Tuesday night for the first time as a member of the Boston Red Sox and Alex Cora’s club hopes the veteran right-handed pitcher brings his command and nasty changeup to Boston.
Cashner’s changeup has been cash in 2019. According to Brooks Baseball, he has used it at a frequency of 26 percent this season, which is twice his career average, and the pitch has induced an 18 percent swing-and-miss rate. Opponents are hitting just .172 against Cashner’s changeup.
“I think I’ve just had a ton of confidence in my changeup in the last month and a half,” Cashner told reporters Monday. “I think my other pitches, I’ve had great command of them, but the changeup I’ve thrown any count and been kind of doing different things with it and it’s been a big pitch for me.”
That command has helped Cashner limit the long ball, as he’s allowed just 11 home runs this season. Only David Price has allowed fewer home runs per nine innings on the Red Sox rotation. Cashner’s ability to keep the ball in the park is important since hitters are on pace to shatter home run records this year.
