Logic might dictate that the Red Sox would open the American League Championship Series with Nathan Eovaldi as the Game 1 starter, followed by Chris Sale in Game 2.
But are the Red Sox planning changes to their rotation, and for Sale in particular?
Sale lasted just one inning in Game 2 at Tropicana Field, giving back a two-run lead his teammates had built in the top of the inning by allowing five runs to the Rays. That outing came five days after he was also rocked in final regular season start, giving up two runs on three hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings on the final day of the season.
Combined, Sale has pitched just 3.1 innings in his last two starts, with seven runs on seven hits.
When asked Wednesday whether Sale would contribute as a starter or out of the bullpen going forward, Alex Cora merely answered: "He'll pitch...he'll pitch. He'll be part of this and he'll be an important part.''
The Sox had Sale available in the bullpen for Game 4, and of course, famously, used him to get the last three outs in Game 5 of the 2018 World Series.
The Sox had Sale and members of the staff look at video on Tuesday in an effort to find some mechanical flaws in his delivery. They think they found some.
"We feel good about him,'' said Cora, "and he feels good about where he's at. I had a conversation with somebody today and it was music to my ears. They said something about 'He found something in the bullpen.' I was like, 'Well, the last time I heard somebody found it in the bullpen was David Price and he took off.' So hopefully, he found something. But I think we recognized a few things where he'll get to the point where he's more balanced and he's more direct to the plate and over the rubber. If he does that, he'll be fine.
"He struggled three times (against the Rays). You never know. For however much we look into stuff (like tipping pitches) sometimes we don't find it and other teams find it. But I do believe, he feels good about where he's at. He's going to pitch some meaningful innings in this series and hopefully in the World Series and all this talk is going to be in the past.''
Cora did reveal other than the first two starters, every other member of the pitching staff would be available to pitch in relief for Games 1 and 2.
"If you're healthy and you feel good, you know what you have to do,'' said Cora. "Everybody's on the same page and everybody's on the same program. And we're going to keep doing this in the ALCS and see where you go. We'll take care of Day 1 first. But I think the versatility of our guys will help us to maneuver our rotation and our pitching staff the way we want to -- being aggressive.''
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The Sox haven't set their lineup and won't until Friday morning, MLB's deadline.
Chaim Bloom, Red Sox chief baseball officer, said putting together a roster for a seven-game series is a bit different than setting one for a five-game set.
"I think a lot of it depends on the specifics of your team,'' said Bloom. "The fact that, in the middle of the series you may well end up playing three games in a row, does change a little bit how you think about deploying your pitching. We were able to get very, very creative with it the last five games because of all those off-days. We still have some off-days (in the ALCS), but not as many, so we do have to account for that as we plan.''
The Sox had 13 position players and 13 pitcher in the ALDS, and Bloom was unsure whether they would have the same breakdown for this one.
"I don't know yet,'' he said. "We still have to discuss that. I don't want to say either way, until we have a deeper discussion.''
Generally speaking, the shorter the series, the easier it is to carry specialists on the roster. In a longer series, you need players who can contribute in a variety of ways.
"The wild card game was an extreme example,'' he said. "We knew that Chris Sale wasn't going to pitch, no matter what. So that opened up a spot for us that was more specialized (with pinchrunner Jarren Duran). Much of it depends on what in-game moves you might make, what role does everybody have...Obviously the broader role that someone has, the more valuable they can be over a longer series.''
The Sox will not be able to bring back Garrett Richards, who was removed before Game 2 with a hamstring strain. MLB rules dictate that players who come out of one series for injury reasons must also sit out the next series.
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Cora has previously remarked about the reaction and response of the fans at Fenway for the first three postseason games, and has noted with each successive game, it's gotten louder.
He was asked Wednesday whether it's possible that this team is more popular than the one that won the World Series in '18.
"I'm not sure if there's more interest now than there was in '18,'' he said. "I think the circumstances around -- not only us, but outside our world -- has made this place special. You're like, 'I want to go to a ballgame, I want to be outdoors, I want to scream.' Some people have been in lockdowns for a long, long time. There's a lot of restrictions to our lives and the fact that the Red Sox are playing meaningful games, it makes it more interesting, I think. In this area, when I got the job in '18, I said people live baseball -- 24/7, seven days a week. People talk about it -- some positive, some negative. There's debates about whether they like them or don't like them or whether there's interest or not interest.
"But you know what? At the end of the day, they're talking baseball. And people like baseball here. That makes it fun. I feel it now when I go to places, that people are really into this. I used to joke with (Dustin Pedroia) that everybody takes for granted that if you win a World Series, you don't pay for a meal in this city. And that's not true. Actually, you have to tip better. But...the last 10 days, it's been really good as far as the financial part of it. It's a special place. The last three games here, for whatever reason, it's been louder, louder and louder. Everybody's having a blast.''