Nathan Eovaldi will take the hill for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday as they open their season against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.
The right-hander has been working hard to improve his mechanics this offseason as he looks to put forth his most successful season to date. And he is eager to show them off on the mound.
One pitch he paid particular attention to was his splitter. And while it felt good earlier this offseason, he recently hit a snag.
“I felt really good with it,” Eovaldi told reporters Wednesday during a virtual press conference. “I threw to Connor Wong a lot during the offseason and the splitter was my best pitch … It felt amazing, and then when I got into spring, I don’t know if I’m trying to do too much with it, but I’ve been searching for it. It feels good again.”
Also in Eovaldi’s tool kit is his curveball, which he considers one of his strongest pitches. That did not stop Eovaldi from tweaking it a bit, though, and he seems pretty pleased with the outcome.
“My curveball has been feeling really good for me,” Eovaldi added. “I kind of switched the grip on it during the spring. I have a better feel for it where I feel like I’m hitting the strike zone with it, I have a better idea of where it’s going and then taking it out of the zone where I need to. That pitch has been feeling really good for me.”
Boston will need a solid arm in Eovaldi with Eduardo Rodriguez likely beginning the season on the injured list and Chris Sale still rehabilitating from the Tommy John surgery he underwent a year ago.
First pitch from Fenway Park on Opening Day is slated for 2:10 p.m. ET.
