Red Sox News: Chris Sale better in second start, still not dominant

The Boston Red Sox needed a win desperately on Thursday afternoon.

They were just coming off a woeful series against the Pirates, in which they got swept at Fenway Park. So you probably would bet that the Red Sox were angry and wanted a much-needed win.

But the good news was that Chris Sale was on the mound Thursday in the Red Sox road opener against the Detroit Tigers.

Now, people might have been worrying about Sale because he had such a horrible first start of the season against the Baltimore Orioles. Some of those reasons for worry, like his command and giving up homeruns, are legitimate.

But on Thursday, the lanky lefty was more efficient. Sale finished the day pitching five innings, giving up three runs, on four hits, had three walks and seven strikeouts.

Boston Red Sox getting a settled in Chris Sale

If you watched the beginning of the Red Sox-Tigers game Thursday, you’ll have seen Sale get off to about the worst start possible. He walked the first two batters on eight straight pitches.

After those two walks and a mound visit, it seemed like something clicked with Sale. The seven time All-star pitcher then struck out the next three batters to get out of the jam and escape with a scoreless inning.

Yes, he gave up another homerun to Jake Rogers in the second. But he limited the mistakes, which was a step in the right direction.

Five innings with three runs given up gives this lineup a chance to win. That’s what Adam Duvall proved when he hit his eventual game-winning three run homerun in the sixth inning.

So Sale did his job and gave the Red Sox a chance to win, which is all you can ask for in a starting pitcher.

Boston Red Sox still seeing some rust in Chris Sale

While Chris Sale did get the win in the series opener, you could tell he still has some rust to knock off.

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Three walks in five innings is too many. The positive spin you can put on this stat is that Sale only had one walk for the rest of the game, after the second batter in the first inning.

But even the homeruns Sale gives up are predictable. When Sale misses with his pitches, he misses too much over the plate. From little league to the big leagues, you’ll be in trouble if you keep leaving pitches over the middle of the plate.

So if the 6-foot-6 pitcher can continue to improve the command and keep the ball in the ballpark, then the Red Sox will have something.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly better for Chris Sale’s second start of the season.

Now it’s about building off of each start. It looks like Sale will get his next start in Tampa against the Rays. We all know the Rays will be the toughest test for the Red Sox in April.

But for now, we’ll take the good with the bad. Hopefully, Sale will continue to ramp up for the longevity of the season. This starting rotation needs some consistency and maybe he can provide that. If not, hopefully the Red Sox bats will have his back more often than not.