[ad_1]
BOSTON – Red Sox ace Chris Sale has quickly pulled out of the first game of the American League series against the Houston Astros.
The sale lasted only four rounds on Saturday night, allowing two runs on a hit and four walks while Boston dropped out of the opening match 7-2.
Dirty opened the game with a walk of eight lengths for George Springer and struggled in the first three innings with below average tricks and location.
Houston took the opportunity in the second. Sale got two quick starts, but then faced Carlos Correa, tackled Martin Maldonado on the hand with a fastball, then Josh Reddick. Springer followed with Eduardo Nunez, third goal, third goal to give the Boston advantage 2-0.
Dirty decided to go without sleeves despite a first shot at 48 degrees and his fastball took too long to warm up. His velocity has been at the center of his concerns since a shoulder issue put him on the list of disabled people in August. He came back in September, but his final average was 90 mph, well below his standard.
He came back to about 95 mph in two effective outings against the Yankees in the AL Division series, but he sat relatively 90-93 on Saturday.
His control was also fragile, even though he might have pulled something out of his fastball and slider after being left behind. He pitched a throw behind Alex Bregman and his four goals were scored in the first two innings.
Dirty had only two puffs in the first three innings before finding a rhythm in the fourth. It was enough for Cora, who took out Sale after 86 shots. Sale has broken five, including Correa and Maldonado to end his release.
The 29-year-old gave five hits and two earned runs. He beat nine times over 6 in his victory in the first game against the Yankees. He was also relieved in the fourth game, removing all three batters in the eighth inning.
The Saturday night start recalled his poor performance in his playoff debut in the ALDS first game against Houston last season. Dirty awarded seven earned runs in five innings that he pitched during this outing, giving a pair of home runs to Jose Altuve and another to Bregman in a loss.
Sale made an appearance in Game 4 of this series, holding the scoreless Astros for four innings before allowing two points in the 5-4 loss to the Red Sox Match 4 while Houston finished the 3-1 series.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source link
