McAdam: Red Sox appear to have learned their lesson with Chris Sale

CHICAGO — Alex Cora made two things very clear in his media session Friday afternoon. First, Chris Sale will pitch again this season and will do with time for him to make "multiple'' starts before the playoffs arrive. Second, the Sox aren't about to make the same mistake twice with their ace.

Sale is currently on the disabled list for the second time in the last month with the same ailment both times: mild inflammation in the left shoulder.

The first time Sale went down with the condition, he was placed on the disabled list July 31 (though backdated to July 28). Eleven days later, Sale was back on the mound at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. When Sale manhandled the Orioles, striking out 12 in just five innings of work, requiring a mere 68 pitches, he looked to be fully recovered.

But days later, as Sale prepared for his next start, some of the tightness in the shoulder area returned and Sale was placed on the DL for the second time in the span of less than three weeks.

It was a bad -- and troubling -- look. Here was the Red Sox' most important pitcher having been either rushed back prematurely or misdiagnosed altogether, to say nothing of what it suggested for the Red Sox' chances in October.

However, with September here, Sale's prospects have brightened. He concluded a five-day throwing program Friday by throwing on flat ground at nearly full effort.

"I felt good, really good,'' said Sale. "We're just building up now. We're past all the little bumps in the road and just strengthening now and building up to make a start in the big leagues.''

Due to the calendar -- the minor league regular seasons end Monday in most cases -- Sale won't have the luxury of a rehab assignment before being activated. But between bullpen sessions, live batting practice and other methods, he can get enough work to facilitate his return.

Sale estimated that "a couple of live BPs'' could be enough to build sufficiently, and then the Sox could steal a page from the Tampa Bay Rays' playbook and utilize Sale as the "opener'' -- in other words, only for a few a couple of innings, at least initially.

The key, of course, is to have more certainty about Sale's physical well-being before he pitches in a major-league setting again. And that means an abundance of caution, or at least significantly more than the organization used last time.

Asked to compare how he feels now with how he felt preparing to return in Baltimore, Sale answered: "I feel better now, just because I think we took more time. There was more time off from throwing, more time throwing in between days in the bullpen. This time has been different than last time. We've basically doubled the amount of time in every aspect in terms of days off, throwing days, (time) before I get off the mound, plus the rehab that I've been doing.''

Then again, Sale felt ready to get back on the mound the last time -- only to have the inflammation return. This time, the Sox must be sure. If Sale returns prematurely and suffers another setback, it could mean the end of his season. And that, correspondingly, could mean the figurative end of the Red Sox' season, or least, a guarantee that their post-season will be no different than the last two Octobers -- nasty, brutish and short.

In other words, there's a lot at stake, which Sale and the Sox seem to grasp. Hence, the caution.

"I'm twice as confident now than I was then,'' said Sale.

There exists the theory that Sale could, in the long run, benefit from being sidelined. For a pitcher who has a history of being worn down from the workload in the second half, Sale has thrown exactly five innings in the last five weeks with at least two more weeks to go before he makes his return.

Given the size of the Red Sox' divisional lead, might those seven or so weeks serve as the perfect elixir given his history?

"He's feeling good,'' said Cora. "Actually, he's feeling great. We're trending in the right direction. He can see the light (at the end of the tunnel) now. One thing is for sure — we have to be very disciplined. We have to make sure we slow it down the right way.''

It didn't happen the last time. But the Sox learned their lesson the hard way.