What the hell happened to Chris Sale? It’s a topic that truly is keeping me up at night. In 19 starts thus far for Boston, Sale is 3-9 with a 4.27 ERA. That’s not Chris Sale. Can’t be. So what the actual f*ck is going on? The guy hasn’t won a home start since July of 2018. I’m not making that up.
Nothing has pissed more off more than this abhorrent bullpen. Nobody in baseball has more blown saves than the Red Sox do. It’s ignorant and there’s no excuse for it. Eduardo Nunez was a close second but he recently got DFA’d. Thank the lord, I couldn’t stand him. Sale’s performance has been unacceptable, but the track record suggests this is a blip in the radar. I also know that Sale clearly isn’t right whether it be mentally, physically, or mechanically.
The good news is the lanky lefty has owned his struggles. He’s trying to figure out what the hell is happening. He’s had some good lines too. Some of my favorites include something along the lines of “I’m getting my ass kicked every 5 days” and “I’ve never pitched this bad in my life”. He is honest and stands in front of the media and takes it.
The other piece of good news is Sale hasn’t been bad all year. It’s come in weird stretches. The start to Sale’s season was embarrassing. It was also reported that he was dealing with an ugly toe injury if that matters. The first five starts for Sale, he had an ERA of 7.43 in those starts. In the next 11 to follow, Sale was dominant. 67.1 innings and 15 earned runs. That dropped his ERA down to 3.49 which is very good for most but still not Chris Sale. Then the last 4 starts have been ass again. That makes me think that something else rather than just a decline in ability is going on.
It’s difficult to explain. One start Sale is throwing 98 but it’s all over the place. The next start it’s 93 and getting torched. The slider has been hit or miss too. One start he can put it wherever he wants. The next he is back dooring guys so far that it’s hitting them in the feet.
I don’t know what the answer is. He looks the same physically when I watch him. That quick pace to the plate is still there too. He is still the same guy. All I know is something is going on and it needs to be fixed. I know Sale can be one of the best pitchers on the planet when right. We need that guy back now. Let’s be honest, if he doesn’t figure it out, I got a World Series title out of him. That’s better than most miserable fans can ever say.
