Fernando Cabrera works out at spring training in Fort Myers, alongside Takashi Saito and Jonathan Papelbon

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach

PAWTUCKET –– When he thinks back to last year, Fernando Cabrera doesn’t first think of the ugly 5.40 E.R.A. he posted while pitching for the Baltimore Orioles. He just remembers that he wasn’t having any fun playing the game he used to love.

By that same token, when he talks about this season, the Pawtucket closer doesn’t immediately refer to his sparkling 1.06 E.R.A., or his perfect 16-for-16 save record. Instead, he talks about how baseball is once again a pleasure.

“I’m glad that I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now, I’m enjoying the game again,” Cabrera said.

I got to a point, maybe a couple years ago, I lost that. Even when I was in the big leagues, I was not really enjoying what I was doing. I was worried about what they were thinking about me, thinking about too much stuff that was not in my hands, and not thinking enough about pitching,” Cabrera said.

This year, when Cabrera comes on the mound, Pawtucket’s opponent knows the game is over. He hasn’t allowed a run in all of June, and has given up just four all year. He has struck out 36 men in 34 innings, and has been a perfect closer since taking over following Daniel Bard’s promotion to Boston. Those are dominant numbers, good enough for consideration to the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Of course, a positive attitude by itself won’t get professional hitters out. His stuff has looked electric. Along with Cabrera’s love for baseball, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican has rediscovered the nasty fastball and slider that first got him to the big leagues as a 22-year-old in 2004.

“He’s a power arm. What I like about him is that he doesn’t back down; he goes right after the hitters. So he really fits well in a closer-type role,” said his manger, Ron Johnson.

Pawtucket reliever Rocky Cherry sat alongside Cabrera in the Baltimore bullpen last year, and he has noticed a significant difference in the sharpness of Cabrera’s pitches.

“His stuff is better this year. His velocity is better, and he’s attacking hitters better. That stuff has always been there, but when you’re having fun and you feel comfortable, that stuff comes out,” Cherry said.

Even this kind of success doesn’t guarantee that Cabrera will be back in the big leagues soon, however. The Boston bullpen is the best in the league, without any obvious holes. In the event of an injury, Cabrera is just one of several excellent Pawtucket relievers vying to be the first in line if there is a problem at the major-league level.

Also, management may be skeptical how well this success will translate at the major-league level. Cabrera has posted similar minor-league numbers before, only to have trouble once he reaches the majors. Cabrera’s minor league E.R.A. from 2006-2008? 1.12. His major league E.R.A. over that same stretch? 5.92.

But Cabrera is confident that he is not the same pitcher who put up those numbers.

Cabrera’s only real major-league success came when in his first year, 2005, when he posted a 1.47 E.R.A. in 30.2 innings with Cleveland.

Cabrera spent much of the winter trying to get back to what made that young man successful. He now sees himself as an older, wiser version of himself, not the lost, unhappy hurler who took the mound last year.

“I was successful in the big leagues right away, and then I had a couple of tough years. So I thought about the things I did when I was successful, my mental approach at that time. And this offseason, I thought about the things I learned over this tough two years,” Cabrera said.

On the mound, that translates to being more aggressive and not “nibbling” at the corners.

“Mentally, I think about attacking the hitters, not trying to be too fine. Attacking the hitters, and trusting my stuff. That’s what I try to do, and I can really see the difference that makes,” he said.

As a sixth-year free agent having a great deal of success, Cabrera could have opted out of his contract and left Pawtucket for another team on June 1, where he might have had an easier path back to the big leagues.

But he stayed, saying he was so happy here, and so pleased to feel confident again, that he didn’t want to disrupt a good thing. He’s been in the majors, he’s been in the minors, and he knows how hard it is to find happiness at any level. He wants to get back to the big leagues, of course, but not at the cost of what is making him successful now.

“I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to go to a new place and do new things. “I really like it, I really like it here, and I get a good feeling. I don’t want to change that for anything right now,” Cabrera said.

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With Mark Wagner catching his first game at the Triple-A level, Syracuse runners tested him early and often. Wagner, called up from Double-A on Sunday, led the Eastern League gunning down 62 percent of attempted basestealers. That didn’t scare the Chiefs, apparently.

Syracuse’s Pete Orr stole second easily in the third inning, but Wagner nailed him a few pitches later when he tried for third base.

Orr swiped second again in the fourth, on a close play that brought PawSox manager Johnson out of the dugout to argue.

Right fielder Jorge Padilla stole second base in the third inning.

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Fans lined up at McCoy to have their pictures taken with the 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies, which are touring the Red Sox minor-league affiliates this month. As part of the tour, the organization is asking fans to recount their favorite Red Sox memories, and recording them for posterity.

dbarbari@projo.com