With some extra rest and additional motivation, Sale unbeatable

Facing Chris Sale is never fun.

Facing a rested Chris Sale is a nightmare.

Facing an angry and rested Chris Sale may well violate the terms of the Geneva Convention.  It’s downright inhumane.

And yet, that was the situation the Tampa Bay Rays found themselves in Tuesday night.

With a little bit extra in his tank and a burning determination to make up for his worst start of the season last week, Sale proved to be too much for the Rays. Heck, he might have proven too much for the 1927 Yankees.

He limited the Rays to two measly singles over eight shutout innings, posting 13 strikeouts while allowing just one walk.

“He was in command of this one,’’ remarked John Farrell after the Red Sox’ 2-0 win, their seventh victory in a row.

“There isn’t a ton to talk about,’’ said a glum Kevin Cash, Rays manager. “We couldn’t quite figure (Sale) out. He’s very good. He makes it difficult.’’

Does he ever.  Sale didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth, when Rafael Devers skipped a throw to first that Mitch Moreland couldn’t contain. He didn’t allow a hit until one out in the fifth. And it wasn’t until Sale fired a wild pitch over Sandy Leon’s head in the seventh that the Rays could claim a baserunner in scoring position.

By then, Sale had a whole run with which to work.  What would have been a slim 1-0 cushion seemed almost insurmountable on a night when Sale was operating with extra power and, maybe, a little more motivation than usual.

“I don’t know that I can pinpoint exactly,’’ said Sale, when asked to identify the benefits of the two extra days of rest. “Overall freshness, I guess. These aren’t called the ‘dog days’ (of the season) for no reason, so anytime you can get a little bit of a break (it helps).’’

Of course, Sale didn’t exactly kick back with the two days provided to him. He saw them as an opportunity to get some additional side work in, throwing two bullpens since his debacle against the Indians at Fenway last week “to kind of stay sharp and be able to fix some things that needed to be taken care of.  Especially this time of year, it’s nice.’’

Sale leads the American League in virtually every category imaginable – wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, strikeout-to-walk ratio – but that doesn’t mean he’s satisfied.

“I was flat out embarrassed the last time I was on a baseball field,’’ seethed Sale, recounting the seven runs and eight hits he allowed in five innings. “That didn’t sit right with too many people, especially myself. I got my ass kicked. I wanted to come back and be good for this one.’’

And having squandered the five runs the Sox scored while he was in the game against Cleveland, he figured it was payback time Tuesday.  The one run the Sox scored in the first eight innings? That was plenty, thank you very much.

With input from bullpen coach Dana LeVangie, pitching coach Carl Willis and assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister, Sale determined that he needed some help with both his extension and direction in his delivery.

“This time of year,’’ noted Sale, “you want to stay on top of things and make sure that you stay clicking. Those extra work days in between helped.  And like I said, you have a little bit of added fuel when you don’t do so well the last time out.’’

Sale’s slider, normally his most effective pitch, was even more devastating after some tinkering. He used to both set up the Rays, and, on occasion, finish them with it, too.

“That,’’ said Sale with typical understatement, “was a pretty big pitch for me tonight.’’

The 13 strikeouts by Sale gave him 15 starts with double-digit strikeouts this season, the most for an American League pitcher since one Pedro Martinez had 15 in 2000.

“I don’t know if you can say it’s a historic year,’’ said Farrell. “But it’s certainly a powerful year. He’s been dominant. He’s been so consistent with the exception of one or two (outings) of the 23 he’s made so far. To maintain that kind of strikeout rate…impressive is an understatement.’’

And don’t forget the work ethic. After Sale was done his night’s work on the mound and finished answering questions from the media, he was spotted skipping rope, part of his post-start regimen, outside the clubhouse, in the bowels of Tropicana Field.