Sale gets a little miffed
Walks, homer put lefty in bad mood
FORT MYERS — Chris Sale wasn’t happy with himself yesterday afternoon. What would’ve likely been just a mildly disappointing spring training outing to most pitchers was an historic disaster to last year’s American League Cy Young Award runner-up.
In five innings of work against a Philadelphia Phillies lineup full of regulars he issued — gasp! — three walks.
Sale also plunked two batters, gave up five hits and let four runs cross the plate, three on a massive home run by Aaron Altherr. He struck out six.
But the walks really angered him.
For context: Sale had never walked three batters in a spring training game.Until yesterday, he hadn’t walked three batters in an entire spring since 2013, when he walked four over five starts spanning 231⁄3 innings.
“One thing that really pisses me off is command,” he said. “Walking guys, hitting guys with breaking balls. That kind of stuff can’t happen. Little stupid stuff that gets in the way. Those are the things that kill you. Walks and hit by pitches. At least when they’re hitting the ball they’re earning it. You never know if you walk them.
“Command, that is the thing that gets me the most.”
Sale was also miffed by his signature slider, a pitch that opponents hit just .181 off last year. He left a hanger to Altherr on his mammoth home run that cleared the faux Green Monster at JetBlue Park in an instant.
Asked if he threw a good pitch, Sale said, “They usually don’t hit the good ones that well. So yeah, it was not the best.”
His slider felt off. “Breaking ball just didn’t have bite today,” he said. “Wasn’t sharp. Even my change up, threw a couple good ones and yanked a couple of them. Just have to get consistent with it. Get a rhythm. I don’t think I threw any good breaking balls today.”
Told that he collected one strikeout on a breaking ball, Sale scoffed and said, “It was right down the middle.” Then he walked away.
Sale made it clear that with 10 days before Opening Day, which he’s on schedule to start even though it hasn’t been announced, he has work to do.
“You’re going to have days like that. You’re going to have to find a way to get through it,” Sale said. “It’s better to have those days down here and work out the kinks and get better from that. I’m sure we’ll address it the next couple days. Figure some stuff out. Obviously I know when you yank a changeup what the deal is. Obviously you want to get better and right that ship.”
Sale, who said his arm strength does not need work, has a 3.21 ERA in three Grapefruit League starts, and the Red Sox have little reason to be concerned.
“It happens during spring,” manager Alex Cora said. “They always have one like that.”
No specialty
Sandy Leon caught Sale yesterday. Christian Vazquez caught him last time and will do so again next time out. Leon caught Sale for all but one starts last year, but Cora doesn’t intend to use one catcher for an individual pitcher.
“Whoever I feel comfortable with that day behind the plate, he’ll catch,” Cora said. “Christian already caught him. Sandy’s going to catch him today. And then the next turn, Christian’s going to catch him. Everybody’s going to work with everybody.”
Bogaerts beaming
Xander Bogaerts put a hurting on a 90-mph fastball by Drew Hutchison and connected on a homer to center field for his second long ball of the spring.
Cora is starting to like Bogaerts in the 5-hole.
“I do, he’ll put the ball in play,” Cora said. “There are certain things I’ve been talking about, being aggressive in the strike zone, and he’s one of those guys that I noticed last year he was very passive and he was taking. We call it bad takes, fastballs right down the middle. We’ll keep preaching aggressiveness.
“We’ll keep working with him, but I’m comfortable with him there. He’s a guy that will put the ball in play. He’ll go the other way, too. And he can drive in runs.”
Rotation update
Drew Pomeranz will throw three innings in a minor league game on Friday as he works his way back from a mild flexor sprain.
Between Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) and Steven Wright (knee), the Sox have a chance to fill out the back end of their rotation without needing to turn to their depth.
Cora said “we can’t close that door” when asked if any of those three could be ready for the season’s start.
Brian Johnson has pitched well this spring and seems the likely choice if more than one of the three injured starters aren’t ready for Opening Day.