Morales, Sale meet again
TORONTO — Kendrys Morales was wrong.
After spending the last three seasons with the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, Morales thought that when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent, he would escape repeated exposure to Chris Sale.
Instead, Sale was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Red Sox, an AL East rival of the Blue Jays.
This afternoon, the designated hitter and the starter resume their onesided hostilities — Morales is 5-for-25 (.200) against Sale, with eight strikeouts — while the Blue Jays begin their acquaintance with an opposing pitcher who likely will haunt them far too frequently for their liking for at least the next three seasons. Luck of the draw, indeed. “It’s not just hard for me, I think it’s hard for everyone in the American League East who found out that he was coming here,” Morales said via translator Josue Peley before last night’s game. “At the same time, it’s the same for everybody, you still have to go into the batter’s box, you still have to try and beat him and he’s going to have to beat you, too.”
With his 26 career plate appearances against Sale, Morales has twice as many PA’s as any other Toronto hitter. Steve Pearce has 13, and he is the sole Blue Jay with a respectable average at .333 (4-for-12).
From the list of nine other Blue Jays who have faced Sale, no one has more than one hit, including the likes of Jose Bautista and Troy Tulowitzki. Combined, the lineup, including Pearce’s and Morales’ nine hits, is 16-for-95 (.168).
One of those who is hitless in 10 at-bats against Sale is Russell Martin.
Clearly, Russell’s an optimist, because even though his cup is bone-dry, he sees it as half-full.
“I enjoy the battle against him,” Martin said. “It’s not fun for my batting average sometimes, but I always like to compete against guys who like to compete.”
And in Sale, whom Martin does not know personally, he sees a pitcher whose presence is as unique as his delivery and stuff.
“I’ve always been a big fan, I like when someone goes out there and battles and competes,” Martin said. “What makes me think about him and his attitude a little bit is Jake Peavy early in his career. Just super tough, coming right after you in his intensity.”
By virtue of being a lefthander, Sale already distinguishes himself as a bit out of the ordinary. His long wing span and 2 o’clock arm slot make him even more unique. And his intensity only magnifies the physical attributes.
“He just looks like he never gets overwhelmed, he’s a competitor,” Martin said. “I think it’s more his attitude. Everyone has ability, right? What separates a supreme competitor to another is more what’s upstairs. I don’t know the guy but I’m assuming. He doesn’t look like he ever gets timid or shy out there. If something ever happens, it looks like he gets (ticked) off and it makes him better.”
When Morales was reminded that two of his five hits off Sale were home runs, he could not have be any less impressed.
“It doesn’t mean anything — he’s a guy that’s hard to hit,” he said.
So what tips is he going to give his teammates?
“Just try to be aggressive,” Morales said. “Everybody will have a different game plan, but to make sure our game plan is at our best. We have to make sure to attack him like he’s going to do against us. He’s going to throw the ball over the plate.”