Alex Cora says Nathan Eovaldi will make first Red Sox start Sunday or Monday
"We’ll make that decision in a little bit."
Manager Alex Cora is excited to have Nathan Eovaldi joining the Red Sox.
“We’re very confident in this guy,’’ Cora told WEEI on Wednesday. “From what I heard around the league today, we beat a few teams to the punch, which is good. We’re comfortable with him. Very comfortable.’’
Cora said Eovaldi will make his Red Sox’ debut early next week.
“He’s going to start either Sunday or Monday. We’ll make that decision in a little bit,’’ said Cora. “He’s been throwing the ball well. His velocity is 97, 98, 99 [miles per hour]. He’s been trying to use his cutter a lot more this year. His split is a good pitch. We’ll probably make some adjustments with it, make him throw it a little bit more.’’
The Red Sox manager also weighed in on Drew Pomeranz’s rough outing Tuesday night, when the lefty gave up four runs on six hits over 4⅔ innings with two walks and four strikeouts in his first start since May 31.
“He was good for three [innings]. The last inning, his fastball command wasn’t there,’’ said Cora. “His velocity wasn’t near what it was last year. You have to be precise if you’re not throwing that hard.’’
With Eovaldi in the mix, would they consider moving Pomeranz to the bullpen?
“We have a lot of stuff in consideration. As you guys know, BJ [Brian Johnson] did it early in the season. Drew’s done it in his career We have to sit down and go over all scenarios,’’ said Cora.
When asked about Eduardo Rodriguez, Cora sounded optimistic.
“When we get back home we’ll know more about Eduardo. He’s been very positive,’’ said Cora. “He feels a lot better than we thought he would.
“We’ve just got to be prepared. I think that’s the most important thing. The more you have, the better it is. I do think we got better with this arm. He’s going to help us out a lot.’’
