Sale to rejoin the Red Sox after illness
Boston’s ace is discharged from hospital after stomach issue and in time to be at Game 3 of ALCS.
HOUSTON — Left-handed ace Chris Sale will be with the Boston Red Sox for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros after an overnight stay in a hospital because of a stomach illness.
The Red Sox said they planned to wait until Sale rejoined the team in Houston on Tuesday before deciding when he will get back on the mound.
“Everything’s fine,” manager Alex Cora said before the Red Sox held a brief workout Monday night. “So we’ll see how he feels physically, and then after that we’ll decide what we’re going to do.”
The Red Sox will send righthander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound and the Astros will counter with left-hander Dallas Keuchel in Game 3. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
Sale was released Monday from Massachusetts General Hospital, where he went because of a stomach illness after he pitched Saturday in the series opener, a 7-2 victory by the Astros at Fenway Park.
He gave up one hit and two runs and struck out five batters, but walked four and hit one.
Cora said Sale started feeling ill and was throwing up right after the game. The pitcher was hospitalized Sunday night for observation.
“It’s great. I think we’re all more concerned for his personal well-being and not necessarily the team,” right fielder Mookie Betts said. “So to know that he’s OK is definitely huge.”
Betts hit two doubles and drove in a run to help the Red Sox win 7-5 on Sunday night and tie the series.
The big blow in the game was provided by Jackie Bradley Jr., who hit a three-run double in the third inning off the Green Monster to put Boston ahead to stay.
Now the series moves for three games to Minute Maid Park, where the defending World Series champion Astros will count on Keuchel to hold off Boston.
Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, was 12-11 with a 3.74 earned-run average in the regular season. He gave up two runs in five innings in the Game 3 AL Division Series clincher against the Cleveland Indians.
With right-hander Rick Porcello pitching in relief Sunday, the Red Sox will start Eovaldi, who was 6-7 with a 3.81 ERA in the regular season, split between Tampa Bay and Boston.
He gave up one run in five innings for the win against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of an ALDS, his first career postseason appearance.
Eovaldi was the target of a bit of needling from the Astros on Monday, when third baseman Alex Bregman posted a video on social media of George Springer, Bregman and Jose Altuve hitting consecutive home runs against the pitcher June 20, while he was with the Rays.
The caption: “lil pregame video work.”
The Astros said there was no offense meant, and Eovaldi took it in stride.
Said Eovaldi: “The guys told me about it. I still have a job to do. I can’t have any distractions.”
Asked about the “trolling,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch smiled and said, “That’s the first question I’ve ever had in my career that had the word ‘trolling’ in it.”