WHAT IS THE SALE/PRICE?
Chris Sale (below) did two DL stints for shoulder problems in the second half, limiting him to one start in August and four abbreviated efforts in September. Word was this was just the Red Sox being cautious after Sale wore down last year, which factored into the Astros winning a Division Series. But Sale averaged just 90 mph with his fastball in his final start. Boston manager Alex Cora has insisted it is a mechanical flaw — namely that Sale is not getting familiar extension — rather than injury and professes not to be concerned about his Game 1 starter.
The difference between a peak vs. limited Sale could swing a five-game series, as it did last year when Cleveland ace Corey Kluber was not healthy as the Yanks rallied to win a Division Series. In the first half, when Sale was brilliant, he started twice against the Yanks, holding them to one run in 13 innings, striking out 19 and walking one.
Scout 3: “When he is healthy, Sale is special because he has three plus pitches that he can throw whenever he wants and for strikes whenever he wants. Left on left is about an automatic out. The separation between his fastball and slider is great. He does a wonderful job of changing speeds on the same pitch. He is not going to hurt himself. He knows how to work at a comfortable pace. He dictates the rhythm of the game, not anyone else. He’s a great competitor. He is low three-quarter sidearm at 98-99 [mph] and, yeah, just try to hit that.” Scout 1: “Guys who pitch from his arm slot are usually lefty relief specialists. You just don’t see that for seven, eight innings with a guy maintaining, and when he is right, he maintains it.” If Sale is not at his best, the pressure shifts to Game 2 starter David Price, who among other things is starting at Fenway because in his last six Yankee Stadium starts, he has yielded 33 runs in 35 ¹/3 innings. With the Red Sox, he is 2-7 with a 7.71 ERA in eight starts vs. the Yankees, with 16 homers allowed in 58 ¹/3 innings. And then there are the playoffs, where Price is 0-8 with a 5.74 ERA in nine starts. The Red Sox broke The Curse against the Yankees in 2004. If Price is going to break his personal curse, it will be because he morphed into more of a pitcher in his final 23 starts (3.17 ERA) by relying on a cutter more often then finding what else works for him on a particular day (changeup, four-seam fastball, etc.) and leaning on that. Still, even in this period, he gave up more than four runs just twice — both against the Yankees.