The Red Sox have been looking for answers. Mike Shawaryn might be one.
A day after Alex Cora said the rookie would be viewed as a reliever going forward Shawaryn showed why the role might suit him. The righty came on with one out and one on in the second inning, with starter David Price already having dug the Red Sox' a five-run deficit. He responded by retiring the next two Texas batters.
By the time Shawaryn gave way to Colten Brewer he had gone 2 1/3 key innings, not allowing a hit or run while letting the Red Sox crawl back into the game. (For a recap of the action between the Red Sox and Rangers in their series finale, click here.)
Shawaryn has proven quite a bit to both his new team and himself.
"It’s great to have that reaction," said the 24-year-old regarding big leaguer hitter's swings against him to date. "You’re going to have your good days, you’re going to have your bad days, but to create that type of reaction from hitters is always good especially when you can command your pitches and throw them where you want."
After Thursday night, Shawaryn has now pitched four times, giving up just one hit and one run over 8 1/3 innings. And while he did walk a pair of batters in his final inning against the Rangers, the former University of Maryland product has now struck out 13 and walked just the pair.
The success, according to both Cora and Shawaryn, is partly due to an adjustment the pitcher made early on in his tenure with the Red Sox.
"It was about staying behind the ball instead of wrapping around it," he said, holding up his hand to show the lack of rotation he now pitches with. "It helps out with all the pitches. Makes them better. Coming out of my hand, felt a lot cleaner. It felt like I could drive it a lot better. I didn’t know what the results were going to be but it felt a lot better. It’s a huge difference."
Another big change has been living life as a reliever for the first time since his stay in the Arizona Fall League.
"It's just about finding a new throwing routine, when to lift, those sort of things," he said. "It’s all new and any questions I have (the relievers) let me know. What are some things I should not do, should I do. They’re great. It’s a great bullpen to be in. It’s fun down there. It’s different but I’m just going with the flow and see what sticks."
So far, it has stuck pretty impressively.