BSJ Game Report: Red Sox 5, Tigers 2 - Chris Sale, Chris Murphy pitch one-hitter

All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Red Sox' 5-2 win over the Tigers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES

Chris Sale retires 14 straight in return: Chris Sale retired the first 14 batters he saw, striking out seven, all of them swinging and walking none in a one-run performance bookended by a one-run Kerry Carpenter homer. Alex Cora called Sale's night one batter later when he hit Javier Baez, his night likely over when the fifth inning concluded regardless after 58 pitches. Sale threw with command, flare and none of the control issues from his past struggles emerged. Baez scored on RHP Kyle Barraclough, making his first appearance since being called up from Triple-A in place of Dinelson Lamet, designated for assignment after Tuesday's loss. 

"I thought he was outstanding," Cora said. "He was efficient, he was throwing hard, the slider was good, the changeup was playing, great tempo, mechanics and on. It was actually better than the first (Detroit game) this year, to be honest ... we pushed him (in the fifth), and it didn't work out, but I think getting the repetitions and doing it the way he did, that's a great sign." 

"He's in a great place. I think Chris, over the years and with everything that has happened," he continued. "He's gonna be ok. I don't think he's gonna fight anymore, he's just gonna keep working. He looks stronger. From the get-go, he told me, 'I'm gonna be fine,' ... he wanted to contribute as soon as possible ... him being around means a lot to the group. He wants to win so bad ... dropping F-bombs and 'let's go,' he's in the dugout talking to hitters, talking to pitchers, he's a good guy ... people criticize him. Everything that's happened to him physically, it's not a lack of effort." 

Barraclough allowed Sale's runner to score, but escaped the inning with a strikeout before adding two more in the sixth. LHP Chris Murphy closed the game throwing 57 pitches over three shutout innings, striking out four in the extra effort Cora predicted Boston would need before the game due to a fatigued bullpen. Red Sox pitchers struck out 14 after notching 12 on Thursday, allowing only two hits.  

Triston Casas home run separates Sox: Rob Refsnyder scored in the first inning, reaching on Baez' error and scoring on a Masataka Yoshida ground out. Later, Trevor Story singled, Alex Verdugo reached on a fielder's choice, then Pablo Reyes singled to set up Triston Casas for a three-run homer in the fourth inning into the bullpen. Casas grounded out in his first at-bat on an inside pitch against lefty starter Tarik Skubal, who he caught throwing a slider over the plate to find his 19th blast of the season. It gave Sale a 4-0 cushion entering the messy fifth inning, which would've proven more costly. Casas finished 1-3 and drew his second career intentional walk in five games, with first and second open and two outs, before Story scored on a Connor Wong single in the fifth. 

"He got jammed on the first one, fastball way in," Cora said. "Then, he gets a slider in the zone and put a great swing on it ... we were trying to avoid him facing lefties two times, he did, but it was with traffic (on the bases). He's a good hitter, and little by little, we'll give him at-bats against lefties, just like we did with (Rafael Devers) in 2018. He has a pretty good idea of what he wants to do ... (Skubal) is really good, stuff-wise, angle-wise, you saw (Devers) and (Alex Verdugo) trying to bunt, that tells you the story of how tough he was ... we needed that (home run). We needed that cushion." 

FOUR UP

Chris Sale: Energized the Red Sox in his return by throwing 72% of his pitches for strikes in a stellar return from roughly 10 weeks off with two rehab starts. He struck out Andy Ibañez and Spencer Torkelson swinging in the first, mixing a mid-90s fastball with his low-running slider. Jake Rogers and Miguel Cabrera went down in the second on a slider and fastball, respectively, to extend his strikeout streak to four, then he downed Baez with a slider in the dirt on a 1-2 count. Ibañez struck out again in the fourth on three pitches, then grabbed his seventh to begin the fifth throwing a low slider to Rogers. Sale provided arguably the most dominant start the Sox have received all season before two bad sliders to Carpenter and Baez ended his night. He'll pitch again next Thursday against Washington -- a welcome addition to solidify a five-man rotation. 

"It is not fun rehabbing," Sale said. "There are moments that you can enjoy during the process, but as a whole, it flat-out sucks, but on the flip-side of that, any time I step on that, any time I ever step on that mound and stare down that barrel and have competition, a better facing me, I don't care if I'm in the Complex League, I don't care if I'm in Worcester, I said it to Trevor (Story) after my first Worcester start, 'there is nothing like that feeling out there.' That feeling will never get old, and if it does, it's time to pack it up and take it to the house. The needles going in, the suction cups, the machines you put on, all the different things, that's the not-fun part. Going out there, that never gets old." 

Triston Casas: The progress against lefties matters. He finished 1-3 hitting eighth, but Cora trusted him to provide something in a tough matchup and he provided the biggest hit of the night. Casas entered .185 with only 10 hits in 45 games against left-handed pitching this year. His home run marked only his second this season, and his sixth extra-base hit. Given Justin Turner's bad heel likely forcing him out of the lineup sporadically, Casas will need to play first base often, and managing lower lineup at-bats while Trevor Story also works in and out of the lineup helps. He's a great quote too, critiquing Sale's slider and Story's jumpiness at the plate after the game. 

"I was looking for a fastball, I know that's the pitch he likes to lean on the most. It's a good one, 96-99," Casas said. "I got pretty jammed up with a 99 mile-per-hour two balls in, so honestly, I was feeling pretty confident I was going to put the ball in play, because I feel like if I can hit that pitch, I can hit any pitch. I think if you asked him, he'll want that one back. He left it right over the middle of the plate, because if he put it in a good spot, I probably ground into a double play ... I was just trying to hit a fly ball ... play for one, and we got three. I wasn't trying to be selfish." 

Chris Murphy: Pitched three crucial innings late and picked up a save, his first this season after handling bulk work in games like last weekend's against the Blue Jays, who doubled his ERA by scoring six runs over 2.1 IP. On Friday, he returned to a relief role and worked around a Zack Short walk in the seventh, battled Spencer Torkelson for 13 pitches and eight foul balls in the eighth, albeit receiving a generous strikeout call on the outside of the plate, then struck out three Tigers with a curveball, changeup and fastball in the ninth. Stellar stuff needing to go long and another sign of the flexibility Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Sale's returns will provide Cora. 

Trevor Story: More progress. He singled in the fourth and sixth innings to improve to 3-7 over his last two games. He stole second after getting thrown out yesterday, and scored an insurance run in the sixth after advancing from second on Pablo Reyes' fly out. Story will sit on Saturday and return to shortstop on Sunday. 

THREE DOWN

Rafael Devers: He singled early and went down in his final three at-bats to fall to 7-32 (.219) in August. The sense of urgency on his swing helped when the Sox struggled to score runs earlier in the season, now he needs to get back on base for the lower part of the order. Overall, Devers hitting fell below .263, his worst mark since 2018. Devers put the game in complete doubt ahead 5-2 with a two-out bases loaded appearance in the sixth where he flew out on a low 1-2 slider, a pitch he's loved to chase lately. 

Masataka Yoshida: Finished 0-4, grounding out three times before striking out in the seventh. A tough night in the four spot, with that positioning showing Cora's lineup dilemma without Turner, who may play on Saturday, and with Verdugo, Casas and Jarren Duran unreliable options against lefties. Yoshida entered .287 against left-handers, a number the Sox hope maintains after he had shot back above .300 overall this month following a tough road trip. 

Rob Refsnyder: A default leadoff hitter against left-handers, he reached on an error, scored, struck out and grounded out in an 0-3 start before Duran relieved him in the sixth inning. He fell to 0-8 in four August appearances. We'll see if Cora changes that approach when Eduardo Rodriguez pitches on Sunday. 

NOTABLE 

Sale passed his former teammate Rodriguez with his second strikeout tonight, pulling within one of Clay Buchholz for 11th-most all-time. 

"Beat it Eddy," Sale joked, slapping the podium post-game.

RHP Tanner Houck pitched in Worcester's double-header today, going 3.0 IP and allowing one hit, no runs, no walks and striking out three. 

RHP Garrett Whitlock (elbow) could return on Sunday. 

UP NEXT 

Saturday vs. Detroit at 4:10 p.m., RHP Matt Manning (3-4, 5.06) vs. RHP Bryan Bello (8-6, 3.64)