Chris Sale hasn't been at his best through two postseason starts for the Boston Red Sox. But he'll have a pretty big stage on which to right the ship Wednesday when he gets the ball for Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.
Sale is coming off of a pair of less-than-stellar postseason outings. He lasted only one inning after scattering five runs on four hits in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, then was credited with a loss in ALCS Game 1. Sale allowed one run on five hits over 2 2/3 innings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters what he's expecting from the southpaw Wednesday.
"Just be on top of them, be aggressive," he said, as transcribed by ASAP Sports. "Obviously, establishing the fastball is always good, but as you know, his slider is elite. When he is on, his slider, it doesn't matter if he feels good or not, it plays at this level.
"So looking forward for him to work ahead and then expand and get some swings and misses, and just keep going and give us a chance to win. "
While it's not exactly a must-win game for the Red Sox, who now are tied 2-2 with the Astros after dropping Tuesday's contest at Fenway Park, the series returns to Houston for the final two games. Home-field advantage and a one-game lead would be tough for the Red Sox to overcome.
To his credit, Sale has been putting in work between starts. But we'll see how it all pays off Wednesday in Game 5, which is set to begin at 5:08 p.m. ET.
