Red Sox
“Everyone gets sick and has to go to work. You got to do what you got to do sometimes.”
After battling a stomach bug for much of the week, Chris Sale didn’t necessarily have his best stuff Friday night.
However, the Red Sox lefty was still able to grind through the discomfort and turn in a solid start against the Diamondbacks. Sale allowed one earned run on four hits in five innings, walking one and striking out three on 73 pitches in Boston’s 7-2 win.
“Everyone gets sick and has to go to work,” Sale told reporters. “You got to do what you got to do sometimes. For me, it’s important. I have a pretty big role on this team.”
Sale said he likes to think he’s pitched enough to go out there and “figure it out” regardless of the circumstances, and that’s exactly what he did.
Though his pitch count was low, he managed to log five innings and earn the win. He said he didn’t have to max out but that his pitches were there when he really needed them.
“I’d like to stay out there a little bit longer, but again, your offense jumps on the board early and continues to add on throughout the game,” Sale said. “I had a pretty good cushion there, so it allows me to attack the strike zone and not really worry about much else.”
It was a “pretty rough couple of days” leading up to the game. Manager Alex Cora said Sale’s start was going to be short regardless of how he fared.
Cora said five innings was enough, and he credited him for doing an “outstanding job” given the circumstances.
“Sometimes, when you’re out there, you’re not feeling good,” Sale said. “You’re not really thinking about anything else other than just getting to sit back down again.”
Sale is now 5-2 on the season, and his ERA is under five (4.72) for the first time all year. In his last five starts, he’s 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA, including three outings where he’s allowed just one run.
In his last seven starts, he’s fanning 9.6 batters through nine innings and has a WHIP of just 0.9.
As the Red Sox try to keep pace with the rest of the red-hot American League East, they’ll continue to lean on a pitcher who’s starting to return to form after a long and agonizing journey.
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