Sale gets ball tonight
Eovaldi will start Game 2 on Saturday
HOUSTON — Whatever Chris Sale found in the bullpen earlier this week must be giving Alex Cora a lot of confidence.
RED SOX NOTEBOOK
In something of a surprise, the Red Sox manager announced here Thursday that Sale will start Friday’s Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Astros. The decision carries some risk, with the lefty recording just 10 outs combined in his last two starts, but with full rest and after ironing out some things over the last week, Cora has full faith in Sale in a crucial game.
Nathan Eovaldi, who was expected to start Game 1 on regular rest, will start Saturday’s Game 2.
“It’s Chris Sale,” Cora said. “At one point he had to pitch in this series, and we’re very comfortable with him going tomorrow. I think the structure of the series and the structure of our bullpen tomorrow is going to be -we’re going to be aggressive regardless. I don’t expect him to come out in the first inning. I expect him to go out there and pitch a good game and give us a chance to win.
“You got to trust everybody in this roster. We got 26 guys that they have to do a job for us to advance to the World Series, and he is one of them. And that’s the reason he is pitching tomorrow, and then Nate will follow him.”
Sale, after going just 2 1/3 innings in the season finale against the Nationals, followed that up with a one-inning disaster in Game 2 of the ALDS in Tampa, where he gave up a grand slam. Sale now owns a 7.27 career postseason ERA, which includes his first career playoff start at Minute Maid Park in 2017, when he was tagged for seven runs.
But Cora remains confident in Sale, especially as he continues to find his way after returning from Tommy John surgery. The manager expressed excitement Wednesday about something Sale discovered during a bullpen. The pitcher said Thursday that he’s been keying on fastball command and consistency with his changeup in those sessions.
And even though it’s looked bad recently, Sale is cherishing the opportunity and the trust rewarded by his manager.
“I don’t take that lightly,” Sale said. “There’s no hiding from it, no secret. I’ve been absolutely horrible. Probably my two worst starts of my career back-to-back leading up to this. I know what I had to do in between. I know I had a job to do, and I knew I had work to get in. Following my last start in Tampa, I got off the mound every single day because I knew I had to get something going if we were going to be successful, and I know that I’m going to be a part of that.”
Martinez likes lineup balance
When J.D. Martinez returned from an ankle sprain in Game 2 of the ALDS, he batted sixth, lower than he usually would. The decision was rooted in the designated hitter’s uncertainty in how his ankle held up.
Then, he went 4-for-5 and the Red Sox scored 14 runs. The lineup hasn’t been messed with since, and that’s just fine by Martinez. Expect the same look Friday night.
“Honestly, I think it’s better,” Martinez said. “I think being able to split righty, lefty, righty, lefty, I think it’s — especially with the team with Tampa and the team with Houston, a very analytic team, they’re going to be looking for the best matchups constantly. And I think they’re going to have to choose at some point if they want a righty to face (Alex) Verdugo or a lefty to face
either me or (Xander Bogaerts). You know what I mean? They’ve got to bite the bullet somewhere. For me personally, I think it’s a better lineup for the team.”
Martinez said his ankle is doing better, but that it’s still not 100 percent.
“The swelling has gone down a lot,” he said. “Night and day from what it was. It obviously still hurts. You know, certain things, certain movements still bother it, but it’s a lot better than it was yesterday and the day before and the day before.”
Odds & ends
The Astros suffered a big blow Thursday, as ace pitcher Lance McCullers will reportedly miss the ALCS due to a forearm strain he suffered in the ALDS. Manager Dusty Baker said they’re still awaiting results of an MRI, but the Astros named Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia as their starters for Games 1 and 2.
Valdez was dominant against the Red Sox this season, giving up two runs and striking out 18 across 14 1/3 innings in two starts. …
The Red Sox were still finalizing their 26-man ALCS roster that they need to submit by 9 a.m. central on Friday. Darwinzon Hernandez, who threw a live bullpen at Fenway on Wednesday, seems to be a consideration for the roster. …
The broadcast schedule for the first three games of the series were released. Friday’s Game 1 will start at 8:07 p.m. eastern on Fox, with Saturday’s Game 2 at 4:20 p.m. eastern on Fox and FS1. The series then shifts to Fenway Park for Monday’s Game 3, which starts at 8:07 on FS1.