Chris Sale took a little starch out of the Red Sox’ big statement week
Their ace still can't find consistency, which will make actually saving this season far harder.
COMMENTARY
Tasked with validating themselves as contenders following 17 weeks almost exclusively being ones by default, the 2019 Red Sox did. The World Series title defense began in March. The Red Sox actually began defending in earnest on July 22.
That’s certainly not all there is to say after following a great series against the Rays with an even better one against the East-leading Yankees, but that can’t be lost after those 17 weeks.
In clobbering New York 19-3 on Thursday, the Red Sox cracked 10 doubles, nine hits with runners in scoring position, and didn’t let Masahiro Tanaka escape. Not even a month after he was an All-Star, he sounds like a guy the Yankees are at least wary to put against a team that’s clobbered him twice.
On Friday, Mookie Betts turned back the clock to his MVP 2018 (after meeting the Saugus boy from the Make-A-Wish program, no less) and Andrew Cashner worked his promised bottom-of-the-rotation magic — 10 hits allowed, but eight singles, and one out shy of going seven full.
Saturday was nine RBIs spread among eight guys, with the two slackers Rafael Devers (3 for 5 with two doubles) and Christian Vazquez, who helped Eduardo Rodriguez nearly claw through the sixth despite lacking swing-and-miss stuff.
“It’s coming at a good time,” Xander Bogaerts said on Saturday night. “We need to win a couple more. We’re obviously not in a good position, but better than we were three days ago.”
“We just want to dance, man,” manager Alex Cora said before Sunday’s finale. “We just want to get there.”
Their glee was tempered correctly, even before knowing Sunday’s outcome. A 5-2 week still wasn’t enough to nose the Sox into a playoff position by themselves (outside of a few hours before Oakland finished on Saturday night). On the morning of June 29, the Red Sox were fourth in the wild-card race, two games out of the second spot. On the morning of July 29, they’re … still fourth, one game out.
Beyond the fact, after Monday’s off day, the Sox just change venues and run the same seven games again, last week’s lingering value is primarily making this week the new most valuable of the season. Speculation about a selloff and a farm-system restock is replaced with speculation (via ESPN’s Buster Olney) about Mets closer Edwin Diaz. If the Red Sox that played these last seven days hang around for the 60-odd left before the playoffs, even the Yankees might not be out of reach.
After all, while New York’s pitching immolated in a historic way, the Red Sox came within one extra out from Rodriguez on Saturday of six straight quality starts (at least six innings, allowing three earned runs or fewer) from their maligned rotation.
“Everybody is refreshed down there,” said Matt Barnes of he and his bullpen mates after ripping through four outs on Saturday. “Everybody’s feeling good and getting rest. It definitely makes it easier.”
A consistent Chris Sale won’t simply make genuine contention easier in 2019. I dare say it’s a requirement to make it possible.
“Without me, we have a pretty good chance to win this game,” Sale proclaimed on Sunday night, after three rockets — including Austin Romine’s 446-foot missile — and three walks turned into six runs in 5 1/3 innings. “To come out here and be flat-out terrible, it’s tough.”
I was overly dismissive of Sale’s season after the Baltimore series, calling him “a mess since the spring.” At moments, he’s been electric: The best start of his career was arguably his three-hit shutout in Kansas City last month. He had his 14-strikeout game in Baltimore, the 17 K’s against Colorado to cap five starts where hitters mustered just .157/.224/.313 against him.
He has also been frequently exasperated.
“I know who I am and who I’m supposed to be for this team, and I haven’t even been anything close,” he said before the All-Star Game, which he came nowhere near after starting the last three of them. “Absolutely embarrassing … I’m standing before you as frustrated as I’ve ever been.”
“I’m going out there every fifth day and getting my [expletive] kicked,” he said after he couldn’t get out of the fifth against the Dodgers two weeks ago. “It’s not fun. I’m still working, I’m still grinding. I’m not going to give up, but it’s tough going out there every day being a liability for your team.”
“It’s been a tough year up to this point,” he said Sunday night. “It really has been a grind.”
After the Dodgers start made it three straight stinkers, a heart-to-heart with his catchers and the staff appeared to steady things. Sale used his slider to full effect against a Toronto team that had beaten him up this year, then threw even more at the Rays.
Sunday, he was changeup heavy, the pitch (at .294/.312/.500 entering Sunday) he’s had hit the hardest this season. Sale’s fastball got just one swing-and-miss strike all night, a sign it was less than its best, and missed the zone nearly half the time. He threw only 56 strikes in 100 pitches overall; all three of his walks scored, and Didi Gregorius turned a badly mislocated slider into the first home run Sale’s allowed to a lefty since 2017.
“It just seemed like my stuff flattened … out of the stretch. That’s when they did all their damage,” he told reporters. “Something to look at there and try and figure out what I’m doing differently then.”
It was Rodriguez who started the run Boston’s rotation was on until Sunday. He had a career year last season, and was right up there this spring with Devers and Andrew Benintendi as guys poised to take the next step. He has to a degree, essentially holding the line statistically while finally staying healthy — he’s one start shy of matching his 23 for 2018, and two from 2017’s career best. Rodriguez leads the staff in innings and is the No. 3 that Rick Porcello hasn’t been.
But can he be that rotation tentpole every great team needs? David Price certainly has the history, and has been nails most of the year. Take out his four-out start against Texas last month and his blip in Baltimore 10 days ago, and he has a 2.22 ERA since the middle of April.
Sale, however, has that Chris Sale feel. He’s crossed the 100-pitch barrier 14 times to Price’s three. He’s fanned double digits 12 times to Price’s two. At its best, this is Sale’s staff with Price the 1A. Think that Schilling/Pedro monster of 2004, a team that, right around this time on the calendar, made its own statement of purpose against the Yankees.
But will he claim it?
“I know what I’ve done in the past. I know who I’ve been,” he said on Sunday night. “I know what I can do.”
No sooner had the Red Sox quieted that sentiment as a group, their play finally showing the special stuff they proved they had a year ago, does it become impossible to ignore again. Logical and ludicrous all at once, with Sale as it’s been with them all.
I suppose it’s fitting, since what rightfully felt like so much last week really wasn’t much at all. Last week merely made unequivocally clear that this was a season worth saving.
This week starts in earnest the process of actually saving it.
