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‘I’m not broken anymore’: Chris Sale pitched well in his return, even though the Red Sox lost in brutal fashion
The Red Sox had plenty of opportunities to help Sale out in his return.
The Red Sox couldn’t have asked for more from Chris Sale in his return against the Rays on Tuesday.
Sale was resurgent in five innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while striking out five. He worked out of a jam in the third with men on first and second and just one out, and he slammed the door on a rally in the fourth after the Rays got a lead-off double from Isaac Paredes. In a welcome sight for Red Sox fans, his fastball hit 96.9 miles per hour at its top velocity in both the first and fifth innings, per Baseball Savant, and his slider looked lethal again.
Sale told reporters he isn’t “broken” anymore.
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“I kind of felt better as it went on,” Sale told reporters. “Being able to have my best stuff, my powerful stuff, feeling strong in the fourth and fifth inning, that’s nice.”
“He threw the ball well. He finished well,” Cora added. “I think he did an outstanding job at the end. Good velocity. Command of the pitches was OK, delivery was under control and he gave us five innings. That’s a good start.”
So the Red Sox passed the big test. But everything came apart in the sixth inning.
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Ryan Brasier allowed runners to get to first and second, but he recorded a pair of outs. Cora replaced him with Matt Strahm. Strahm gave up a single to Francisco Mejía which drove in one run. Then Taylor Walls drilled a ball off Strahm. Strahm lost his glove, but barehanded the ball and fired it to first — a wild throw that escaped Franchy Cordero. Cordero chased it down and threw home, but his throw was wild too, and a third run crossed the plate.
Those three runs were the only ones the Rays scored in their 3-2 victory.
Strahm left the game with a left wrist contusion and — along with Trevor Story, who was hit by a pitch — will get X-rays at a local hospital.
The Red Sox still had a chance — with nobody out, Alex Verdugo doubled to lead off the seventh inning, and Jeter Downs singled to left after Story left the game in the middle of an at-bat. But with runners at first and third and nobody out, Verdugo was picked off at third. The Red Sox got Downs to second when Bobby Dalbec walked with two out, but they never managed to get closer.
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Still, the big news Tuesday remained Sale’s return and continued health.
“The first one, it’s just getting out of the way,” Sale said. “You never really know what it’s going to be.”
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