The Red Sox will hand the ball to starting pitcher Chris Sale for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday, as confirmed by manager Alex Cora after Boston’s Game 4 loss to the Houston Astros.
Sale went 2 2/3 innings during Game 1 of the series against the Astros, throwing 61 pitches. He allowed one run on five hits in Boston’s eventual 5-4 loss.
“He’ll be fine,” Cora said Tuesday after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I mean the way he threw the ball at the end of that outing in Houston, it was good. The way he worked in between starts, it was good. So he’ll be ready.”
Sale pitched just one inning in his first postseason appearance this season during Game 2 of the AL Division Series. He allowed five runs on four hits to the Tampa Bay Rays while throwing 30 pitches in the first inning.
Cora, obviously, is hoping that’s well behind him now.
Houston will counter with starting pitcher Fraber Valdez. The left-hander, who went 11-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 22 regular-season starts, got the ball opposite Sale in Game 1 of the ALCS. He went 2 2/3 innings while allowing three runs on six hits.
Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta, who started Game 4, said he will be ready to go into the Boston bullpen for Game 5. Pivetta threw 65 pitches over five innings Wednesday.
“Whatever I need to do, I’ll do,” Pivetta said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.
Red Sox-Astros is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Pregame coverage will begin on NESN starting at 4 p.m.
