Chris Sale belly flops in first playoff start

HOUSTON -- Chris Sale had waited all of his professional life for this moment. This was his dream, to pitch in the post-season. Quickly, however, it became a nightmare.

Inside of three hitters, he trailed by two runs. Before he could get an out in the sixth, it was over.
Great expectations. Lousy results.

And so, for the second straight October, the Red Sox post-season began with a giant thud. Last year, it was Cy Young award-winner Rick Porcello getting shelled in Game 1 of the ALDS in Cleveland. On Thursday, it was Sale’s turn in an ugly series-opening loss to Houston, 8-2.

“No excuses – bad time to suck,’’ said Sale succinctly, who was more on target in his candid post-game assessment than he was with most of his pitches. “I never really gave my team a chance to win. I put them in a hole early. They fought back and they fought back hard, and I gave it right back to them.’’

After allowing back-to-back solo homers to Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve (who would later add two more, including another off Sale), Sale seemed to settle in some. His teammates scratched out solo runs against Justin Verlander in the second and fourth, tying the game.

But not for long. Sale gave two more back in the bottom of the fourth, and the rout was on. Strangely, with his pitch count in the high 80s, the Sox already trailing by three, and the potential need to bring him back Monday on three days’ rest, he was sent back out for the sixth.

“It’s go-time,’’ said Sale about the decision. “No reason to hold back now.’’

After a double and a walk, his day was done. So, too, were the Red Sox when Joe Kelly allowed both inherited runners to score.

For the past month, Sale has been dogged by the long ball, allowing six homers in his last six starts, including multiple homers in four of those.

“Gotta be (location),’’ said Sale. “I made bad pitches to good hitters; you can’t do that, especially early on. Obviously, more times than not, good pitches don’t go over the fence. So, we’ll tighten up some loose ends and get back after it.’’

For the first five months of the regular season, Sale dominated hitters, racking up double-digit strikeout games and carving up lineups. He led the league in innings pitched and strikeouts.

But Thursday, none of that counted for much. Some three seasons after trading away Jon Lester, the Red Sox are still in search of a trustworthy starter in the post-season. They spent $217 million on David Price, who already had a troubled history in October, then reinforced that reputation in Game 2 against the Indians.

Porcello, who was given the humbling assignment of mopping up in the eighth inning, was no better. And now Sale has failed his first audition, too.

Even before he stumbled badly against Cleveland in the ALDS last October, Price seemed overwhelmed by the pressures of Boston, ever mindful of past failures and perhaps too focused on proving that he could, indeed, handle the heat of the playoffs.

Sale seemed different. He appeared able to tune out the noise, from spring training forward. So there was every expectation that with better than a week’s worth of rest, he would overcome any fatigue that may have seeped into his game in September.

And, indeed, his fastball consistently registered in the upper 90s and he got plenty of swings and misses from the Astros. But he made far too many mistakes and a deep, potent Houston lineup made him pay every time.

Maybe Sale will get a chance for redemption on Monday in Game 4. Maybe the Red Sox will figure out a way to save him for a winner-take-all Game 5 next Wednesday.

“Don’t think for one second that this team is going to give up,’’ assured Sale. “ We’ve got to keep fighting. This one’s on me. I take full responsibility for this one, but we’ve got 24 other guys in here that will grind their asses off tomorrow and even this thing up.’’

But Thursday night, that seemed like cold comfort.  The only tangible reality was yet another top Red Sox starter proving himself not ready for October’s prime time.