Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora teased that if Saturday went well for Chris Sale in his rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, it would be his last.
Well, he could be on his way to Boston if the stat line has anything to do with it. The starting pitcher took a bus ride with the WooSox to Scranton and struck out eight batters without giving up a run.
Sale gave up just two hits and three walks. His pitch count got high early, reaching 89 pitches in 4 2/3 innings of work, but the strikeouts are encouraging.
Over Sale’s last five rehab starts, his 20 innings of work have resulted in a 1.35 ERA. He’s only walked five players during that stretch with 35 strikeouts.
Despite the pitch-to-strikeout ratio, Sale’s ability to keep runners off the paths is encouraging.
