The Boston Red Sox didn't acquire any starting pitching abythe Major League Baseball trade deadline, and manager Alex Cora on Thursday was confident that the impending return of Chris Sale would be enough to get the club through the rest of the season.
Cora on Friday doubled down on that stance, though he acknowledged Sale won't carry the team on his own.
"The vibe is different because of who we're getting," Cora told reporters before Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. "Our guy's almost ready, and he's throwing the ball well. It's not that we're going to put all the pressure of the world for him to carry us, but we know what he can do, which is very important."
Cora previously said on SiriusXM MLB Radio that Sale likely will be expected to throw five or six innings when he does eventually return to the Red Sox.
The Red Sox did add pitching at the deadline, with relievers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis headed to Boston to round out a trade deadline group that also includes outfielder Kyle Schwarber. Boston was rumored to be in the hunt for Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer, a move that would have rounded out the rotation currently led by Nathan Eovaldi.
But on the same day that Tanner Houck was sent down to Triple-A Worcester and Eduardo Rodriguez had a difficult start, Scherzer went to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sale next takes the mound Saturday for Triple-A Worcester. His eventual return to Boston -- which is expected to be in mid-August -- is long-awaited.
