SERENE SCENE
KEEPING EMOTIONS IN CHECK BENEFITS SALE
Is Chris Sale getting better in his third year as a starting pitcher?
“Yes, because he’s controlling his emotions a little more,’’ pitching coach Don Cooper said last week. “He’s staying under control better. He’s been growing each year.’’
If Cooper — who missed a second consecutive game while fighting the effects of vertigo — watched Sale pitch in the White Sox’ 3-1 victory Monday against the Kansas City Royals, it was on a TV screen. He undoubtedly noticed Sale getting angry at himself for falling behind 1-0 to Danny Valencia with two runners on and one out in the sixth. But he gathered himself, struck out Valencia and watched Alcides Escobar take a 96 mph fastball down the middle for his third strikeout of the inning.
Emotion is OK, Cooper says, but problems arise if Sale overthrows because of it.
“He doesn’t come out of his shoes unnecessarily as much,’’ Cooper said. “It’s something you still have to watch. That’s the big thing.’’
Sale, who lowered his ERA to 2.03 with one run allowed in seven innings, while improving his record to 9-1, knows it. He has blown up a time or two off the mound, most notably when he destroyed a bat after surrendering a 5-0 lead in Anaheim on June 7. The only damage done, besides a loss, was to the bat.
“If I had come in and sat down and was like, ‘Whatever,’ I don’t feel like that is competing,’’ Sale said. “When you truly care about what you’re doing and what happens after that, that’s when that stuff hap- pens. I had been out there for two hours, and it all unravels with one pitch.’’
But reeling it in on the mound is a different story.
“Every once in a while, I’ll get a little upset at myself,’’ he said. “I expect more from myself than I probably should. You have to hold yourself to a higher standard to reach goals you want to reach. I need to change some things, but a little of that is good.’’
Even former teammate Jake Peavy, whose screams, stomps and curses on and around the mound made Sale’s shows of emotion seem tame, advised Sale to scale it back.
“I’m not here to tell you this is wrong. … But maybe dial it back just a little bit,’’ Peavy told him.
Pitching on 11 days of rest except for one inning in the All-Star Game, Sale threw 106 pitches and left with a 3-1 lead. He struck out eight, walked one and gave up seven hits, including an RBI single to Valencia in the fourth inning.
The Royals had three hits in the fourth, which ended when Valencia was thrown out trying to score on Escobar’s double to left. Left fielder Alejandro De Aza, shortstop Alexei Ramirez and catcher Tyler Flowers executed their roles on the relay.
“A couple runs right out of the gate is always great, and then something like that when you get two great throws to save a run is awesome,” Sale said.
The Sox led 2-0 in the first on Adam Dunn’s bases-loaded single against Jeremy Guthrie and added a third run in the sixth, when Dunn led off with a walk and eventually scored on Gordon Beckham’s sacrifice fly to center.