Chris Sale Pinpoints What Has Gone Wrong During First-Half Struggles

The first half of Chris Sale’s season could be described in many ways, but “good” is not one of them.

In his last start before the All-Star break, Sale gave up three home runs and five runs total in a loss to an underwhelming Toronto Blue Jays squad. With the loss, he fell to a brutal 3-8 on the season with a 4.08 ERA.

It’s worth remembering that his record likely would be much better if not for a handful of no-decisions that were the result of the bullpen blowing a lead Sale and the offense helped create. Still, he has not be nearly as good as he should be.

After Wednesday’s loss, he delivered his typical candor following a bad outing. While making those comments, the southpaw pretty succinctly identified what specifically has gone wrong for him.

“I’m not locating fastballs, my changeup is terrible, breaking ball is hit or miss. I just haven’t been myself for a while,” Sale told reporters in Toronto, via The Boston Globe. “I just haven’t been good.”

If Sale gets the first start after the break, it means he won’t take the hill again until next Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fenway Park. The Dodgers have been a wagon so he’ll need to be his best, but for his sake, maybe some time off will be what’s needed.