Sale’s DL stint extended
Lefty ace will now miss Toronto series
The Red Sox hoped Chris Sale would miss only one start during his stint on the 10-day disabled list, but it turns out it’s going to be more.
Sale will not be in the rotation when the Sox visit Toronto for a three-game series this week, the team announced last night.
The Sox originally thought he might be able to start the second game of the series on Wednesday, but instead he’ll stay on the DL and continue to rehab from shoulder inflammation.
Drew Pomeranz will start the first game of the series tomorrow, Brian Johnson will start in Sale’s spot on Wednesday and Rick Porcello will get a chance to work on his career 4.87 ERA at Rogers Centre in the finale on Thursday.
Sale was scheduled to play catch before last night’s game against the Yankees and the Sox planned on making a decision afterward. An announcement was made just before 7 p.m.
Previous to this year, Sale hadn’t been on the DL since 2015. He’s never missed time due to shoulder inflammation, though he did miss a start in 2013 with shoulder tendinitis. He had a 2.53 ERA in his first nine starts of the year, then a 3.29 ERA over his final 21 starts after the shoulder ailment.
This time around he wasn’t concerned when he received the diagnosis.
“I’m very optimistic that this is going to be a very short stint on the DL,” he said Tuesday.
Sale leads all pitchers with 5.6 WAR this season as he vies for his first American League Cy Young Award. However, Trevor Bauer of the Indians is closing in at 5.3 WAR and Justin Verlander of the Astros isn’t far back at 4.9.
But ensuring that Sale is fresh and healthy down the stretch is the priority, especially given the Sox had a chance to sweep the Yankees last night and take a giant lead in the AL East.
“We’d be 91⁄2 games up (with a win) and (today’s) an off day,” manager Alex Cora said. “We’re putting ourselves in a good situation. We know that. We know where we’re at. There’s no hiding. The only difference, to be honest with you, is that when the (Yankees) are playing somebody else, you see that scoreboard. You see it. I’m not lying. You’re looking. Just plain and simple. Now we don’t have to look somewhere else to see what they’re doing. They’re right in front of us.”
Devers takes Spin
While the Sox won’t get Sale back for the Blue Jays series, they should see the return of Rafael Devers from a hamstring injury.
Devers hasn’t played since July 28 and is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday.
He’s scheduled to play in a minor league rehab game with the short-season Lowell Spinners tonight. If it goes well, he’ll fly to Toronto to join the team.
Devers had been hitting .292 with an .827 OPS in his last 19 games before getting hurt. Eduardo Nunez has played third base, hitting .348 with an .853 OPS in Devers’ absence.
Blake Swihart and Ian Kinsler, also on the DL with hamstring injuries, are expected to miss just the minimum of 10 days, Cora said.
Making contact
The Red Sox entered last night ranked first in the majors with a .285 average with runners in scoring position.
One big reason for their success is their contact rate of near 80 percent, second-highest in the big leagues.
“We put the ball in play, which is very important,” Cora said. “I was looking yesterday, and you start looking at the teams that don’t strike out often, and there’s a lot of them chasing a playoff spot. We’re one of them. The Astros are one of them. The Mariners. The Pirates. So, you put the ball in play, you give yourself a chance.”
Missing parts
The Yankees had scored just nine runs on 14 hits in the first three games of the series, striking out 28 times with six walks.
The offense has been noticeably missing Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.
“I mean, (Judge) is one of the best hitters in the big leagues,” Cora said. “Obviously he’s a big bat that they’re missing, but they’ve got some capable guys over there. We don’t walk too many people intentionally, either. So, it’s not like that’s part of our equation that now we’re not going to pitch to him, so we get the next guy.
“He’s a power threat. So, yeah. It’s a little bit different, but at the same time, we still have to attack them. We still have to pitch. It’s kind of the same thing with us. We’re missing a few guys. I don’t know. They’re still trying to pitch us tough.”