Chris Sale hasn’t quite looked like Chris Sale over his last few starts for the Boston Red Sox.
The hard-throwing lefty, who missed most of the 2021 Major League Baseball season due to Tommy John surgery, lasted just one inning in Boston’s eventual 14-6 American League Division Series Game 2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Sale gave up five earned runs and wasn’t able to dominate the Tampa Bay lineup.
The Red Sox decided to move him to the bullpen for the remainder of the ALDS, but was not used before they punched their ticket to the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros.
Alex Cora has yet to name a starting pitcher for Games 1 and 2 of the series, and while Sale could be an option, the manager was tight-lipped when asked about what kind of role the southpaw would play.
“He’ll pitch. He’ll be a part of this,” Cora told reporters Wednesday, via the Providence Journal’s Bill Koch. “He’ll be an important part of this.”
Make of that what you will.
The Red Sox will need to see who presents the best matchups for a deep Astros lineup.
The series begins Friday at 8:07 p.m. ET.
