Things didn't go exactly to plan for Chris Sale on Tuesday night but the Red Sox ace did make it through an inning of work in his first appearance since August 12th. Sale was expected to pitch two innings or 40 pitches (whichever came first) in his return from a shoulder injury, but Alex Cora pulled the plug on his outing after just 26 pitches following a scoreless first.
"He hasn't pitched in a while," Cora said of the early exit. "It made no sense for me to send him out for 10-12 pitches (in the second inning). I was the one who made the call. We're taking care of the guy.
"His mechanics weren't there, the speed of the game (wasn't there). This is the big leagues, ya know? He hasn't pitched in a while. ... I decided to take him out and he finished in the bullpen."
Sale's velocity was up to his usual standards (he hit 98 mph on multiple occasions), but his command was uncharacteristically off. He threw just 14 of his 26 pitches for strikes and hit Kendrys Morales with a breaking ball. A number of pitches were well off the plate, but the Jays struggled to make contact (two strikeouts) when he did find the zone. While his execution wasn't great, the starter felt positive about the performance from a physical standpoint.
"Good. Really good," Sale said when asked how he felt out there. "A little erratic, obviously. I drove my pitch count up a little bit, which is why I didn't get to go out for my second or third inning, but I got some good work in and we'll move on from there."
Cora may have been overly cautious by keeping Sale on such a short rope but given what is at stake next month, who can blame him?
"I think he just felt out of sync, all-around," Cora said of Sale. "That's why he's out there. He's getting ready (for October). He'll be ready to pitch on Sunday and hopefully, he's going to be better."
It's one small hurdle for now, but barring a physical setback in the next couple days, Sale got past one big checkpoint. The competitor in him wanted to do more but all that matters to the Sox at this point is that he's getting closer to full strength while shaking off the rust.
"I was just trying to throw strikes," he said. "I mean, it's my first time back out there in a while. It sped up a little bit on me. I feel like I was rushing a little bit. I got out of the things I need to do to stay on top of things, but I ended up getting out of it. I relied on the bullpen more than I would have liked to, but we move on."
Everything else you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 7-2 win over the Blue Jays, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Offense comes alive late: The Red Sox couldn't figure out Jays starter Ryan Borucki over the first six innings, failing to get a runner past first base as they managed just two hits off the southpaw. The offense finally broke through with four runs in the seventh inning, highlighted by a huge three-run pinch-hit homer from Brock Holt. The top of the order added three more insurance runs in the eighth, which enabled the team to give Craig Kimbrel the night off.
Encouraging outing for Eovaldi and bullpen: Seven pitchers combined to cover the final eight innings for the Sox, allowing just four hits and two earned runs to the Jays. Nate Eovaldi looked sharp for most of his 3 2/3 innings in a long relief stint, while Cora mixed and matched around him for the final three innings of the win. It's only the Blue Jays, but any kind of progress for this bullpen is noteworthy at this point.
"He was good," Cora said of Eovaldi. "I think he did a good job using the fastball up today. He used his cutter, split, slider. It was a good one. Now, he'll start Tuesday in New York and we'll go from there. It was good for him to go out there and compete coming out of the bullpen. The stuff will always be there. He's going to throw 100 regardless of whether he starts or comes in during the middle of the game. That's good to see."
TURNING POINT
Score one for Alex Cora's pinch-hitter management. The Red Sox faced a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh with runners on the corners and two outs when Cora brought out Mitch Moreland into the on-deck circle to pinch hit for Sandy Leon. At the last second, Cora audibled to Brock Holt, likely due to Holt's 5-for-11 career line against reliever Ryan Tepera. The utility man added to that total with a three-run homer into the right-field grandstand, giving the Red Sox a 4-2 lead.
BROCK HOLT YOU STUD pic.twitter.com/0NhwDNntMX
— Sox Lunch (@Soxlunch) September 12, 2018
- The Red Sox clinched a postseason berth for the third-straight season with the win, matching a franchise record.
- Their 99 wins are the most since 1978 and tied for fourth-most in franchise history.
- The magic number to win the division is nine after the Yankees lost to the Twins on Tuesday night.
- Sale extended his scoreless-innings streak to a career-long 29 innings, which is the longest scoreless-inning streak in the majors this year.
- Two of Holt's four home runs this season have come as a pinch hitter. Both of those have been game-winners.