His work on the field has been exemplary. With four scoreless innings Saturday against the Texas Rangers, Cashner extended his scoreless inning streak to seven straight and lowered his exhibition ERA to 1.13 after three starts. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
This has not been an easy spring for right-handed Padres starter Andrew Cashner.
His work on the field has been exemplary. With four scoreless innings Saturday against the Texas Rangers, Cashner extended his scoreless inning streak to seven straight and lowered his exhibition ERA to 1.13 after three starts.
But Cashner has also been dealing with medical problems regarding his mother. He has twice flown home to Conroe, Texas, between starts and might make more trips as spring continues.
Cashner’s mother Jane has been battling leukemia since last September. And a recent E. coli infection following a fall led to the amputation of her right leg below the knee. “She’s doing OK,” Cashner said after his third outing of the spring Saturday. “She has her good days and bad days. It’s almost an hourly thing.”
Cashner returned to the Padres base in Peoria, Ariz., the night before he faced the Rangers. He allowed two hits in four shutout innings with no walks and no strikeouts. He threw 45 pitches with 31 going for strikes. He had been scheduled to throw four innings or 60 pitches.
“It’s been a tough week, just traveling back and forth,” said Cashner. “But every time you cross the line you try to forget about everything else and focus on the pitching. It’s tough to do.”
When visiting his mother, Cashner has been working out with the University of Houston team.
“We’re supporting Cash with what he needs to do,” said Padres manager Bud Black. “A lot of times, the baseball field is a sanctuary. They feel comfortable on the field. Cash knows he has a job to do, but he also wants to be near his mom during this critical stage.”
