Okay, we see you Chris Sale. Making his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, the Boston Red Sox ace shut down the Texas Rangers and stopped the bleeding in the team’s 6-0 victory Friday night at Fenway Park.
While the sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees still stings, seeing Sale on the mound dominated like he did was a nice remedy for the team’s current suffering, but what was also nice was the Red Sox offense coming back to life a bit at the plate.
Though it came against the last place Rangers, the combination of good pitching and offense was what this team needed and hopefully it will get the lineup back feeling good about themselves.
The Boston Red Sox offense shows signs of life
In backing up Sale’s strong outing, Alex Verdugo, Xander Bogaerts and Enrique Hernandez showed up and turned it out at the plate as the team combined for six doubles in a much-needed return to Fenway Park where the offense obviously feels more comfortable.
Most notably in the offensive explosion were contributions from rookie outfielder Jarren Duran who contributed with a double and newcomer Kyle Schwarber who singled in the first innings and had a double to start off the third inning. If the Red Sox can get everyone going, they are obviously a hard team to beat if the pitching is on point and consistent, which it was on Friday night.
Along with Sale’s five scoreless innings, the bullpen and Matt Barnes keep the Rangers putting up blanks on the scoreboard and most importantly put the Boston Red Sox back in the win column at a time when they desperately needed it.
Boston Red Sox strike zone: Chris Sale is “never satisfied”
Chris Sale is simply never satisfied and that is a great attitude for a front-line pitcher.
What is also awesome about a personality like Sale is how he prides himself on ending the team’s losing. In tossing the shutout innings, the Boston Red Sox ace struck out five in just his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery and he did it as a man on a mission.
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Sale stepped to the mound on Friday night on a mission and he came through in getting his team back in the win column, taking his role as a stopper very seriously. He simply brought it and by doing so, he not only inspired victory, he sparked some energy into a team that didn’t’ look like they were having run anymore in getting swept right out of the Bronx.
"“It’s everything to me,” Sale said of stopping the losing streak, via MLB.com. “I understand where I’m coming from, the last couple of years. I had surgery and I’m coming back. “Now I’ve got two starts in the big leagues. I’ve got a job to do. I’ve got to win games. Obviously, we didn’t play well in New York. That series got away from us. To be able to post up and get us on the right track, that’s my job. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”"
Re-joining a starting rotation struggling, Sale is looked at as the savior. Although his first two starts have been strong, he is still a man returning from a major surgery. He needs to build himself back to full strength, which is something he understands. But again, given his personality and his level of competitiveness, he isn’t satisfied.
He isn’t satisfied pitching five innings; he isn’t satisfied just striking out five.
"“To be honest with you, I’m never satisfied,” Sale said. “I wanted to go six innings tonight. If I went six, I wanted to go seven. Appreciation, yeah, I appreciate where I’m at.”"
In all, Sale is a pitcher who battles himself on the mound more than he battles the hitter at the plate. He wants to always be better and that is the attitude this Boston Red Sox team needs right now. It’s a spark of energy that shows every time he steps on the mound.
Boston Red Sox manager minute: Alex Cora got his Ace back
No one in baseball appreciates an ace serving the role as a stopper more than the team’s manager and Alex Cora was all smiles after Chris Sale did his thing against the Texas Rangers.
While Cora has done well in managing the starting rotation in absence of Sale, the manager has also been dealing with a very inconsistent rotation. In Nathan Eovaldi, he has a pitcher worthy of being an All-Star when he’s consistent but hasn’t been very reliable lately. In Eduardo Rodriguez, he has a pitcher with the talent to be great but seems to always have some sort of injury or mental collapse roadblocking his potential greatness.
Though Nick Pivetta has been a surprise, he is nothing more than a No. 4 starter who is now starting to struggle on the mound. There’s Tanner Houck, but he’s a prospect growing each time he steps on the mound. So, Sale’s return has been very timely for Cora who is seeing glimpses of that dominance Sale is known for. He is also seeing an ace inspired to stop the team’s losing streak.
"“Obviously, his whole career he’s been a stopper,” Cora said following the game. “He’s been an ace. He’s had a marvelous career. That’s what we kind of needed tonight. We had a rough series. It was nice to come back with a win.”"
Hopefully, Chris Sale’s performance can spark a winning streak and get this Boston Red Sox team back in the running for the American League East crown.