Listen, I am just as mesmerized with Chris Sale as the rest of you. He is amazing. No question about it. But what is going on with the games he starts? Over the course of the season, he is averaging over 12 strikeouts per 9 innings. 12! He’s only given up 6 earned runs in 37.2 innings pitched. Yet, he has a record of 1-2.
Like I said before, I am mesmerized when Sale is on the mound. But I think the Boston Red Sox offense must relax a little bit too much when he’s out there. Sure, he gives you a chance to win if you score one or two runs, but come on. The man needs some run support. The Red Sox have scored a total of four runs when Chris Sale has been on the mound this year. I love the Sox offense, I really do, but this is frustrating.
Sure, the offense has been stymied by some good arms, including matchups with Justin Verlander and most recently Masahiro Tanaka, but four total runs in five Chris Sale starts is abysmal. I hate to criticize so much because I know the offense is hiding there somewhere, and I certainly couldn’t do much better. However, I couldn’t do much worse, and THAT is the problem here.
What little offense the Red Sox had today came from Hanley Ramirez, who went 2-3 with two singles, and Xander Bogaerts, who went 1-3. Three hits were all the Sox would get tonight, and they paid for it. They fell to the New York Yankees by a score of 3-0 tonight, giving Chris Sale his 2nd loss of the season, undeservingly I might add. He posted an 8IP 8H 2ER 0BB 10K line tonight en route to the Red Sox second loss to the Yankees in as many nights. When asked about the recent offensive struggles, here is what Xander had to say:
Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, when asked why #RedSox struggling to score runs: ‘David (Ortiz) isn’t here. We miss him.”
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 28, 2017
This begs the question, is Chris Sale as bad of a clubhouse guy as advertised? I’m not making any accusations, but it feels like the Red Sox don’t want to hit when he’s pitching. Reminds me of when the offensive line lets the defense through after Paul Crewe reenters the game in The Longest Yard. If the Sox don’t like Sale, we’ve got an even bigger problem on our hands than a few offensive struggles.
With the Chicago Cubs coming to town for a three-game stand, the Sox offense better figure it out quickly. The Cubbies have an explosive lineup and we’re going to need more than a couple runs if we want to take them down. Pardon my pessimism but I hope Steven Wright is on a short leash Saturday because if the knuckler isn’t dancing, the scoreboard might not look so pretty.
When all’s said and done, and the Red Sox have solved their offensive woes, I will forget this game ever happened. But losing to the Yankees (twice) will always sting, and for now, I’m frustrated. But in the meantime, Chris Sale games remain must-watch. Let’s hope the offense can pull things together, or this season is going to feel a hell of a lot longer than a few months.
Follow Ben on Twitter @Ben13Porter
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