The Red Sox have activated ace lefty Chris Sale, as Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston was among those to report on Twitter. He is expected to pitch tonight, but only in a limited capacity, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald recently explained.
Sale hit the DL in mid-August after experiencing ongoing shoulder inflammation. With a healthy lead in the division, the focus has long been on ensuring the star southpaw’s postseason availability.
The expectation is that Sale will build back arm strength while pitching at the MLB level. With the end of the minor-league season, it’s the only way to get him game action. Skipper Alex Cora and his staff will be keeping a close eye to ensure Sale doesn’t push too hard, too fast.
It’ll certainly be fascinating to see whether Sale can pick up where he left off and enter the playoffs as a dominant force. He has pitched 146 innings of 1.97 ERA ball this year, with a ridiculous 13.5 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9, so his own standard is a lofty one.
If Sale is at 100%, the Red Sox are easily going to win the World Series.
If only 75%, roughly going to win the World Series.
You both are idiots.
Guess you’re discounting the bullpen issues the Sox have.
The bridge to Kimbrel is weak, especially figuring that they will need to employ their full bullpen considering the nature of several 7 game series and also Kimbrel hasn’t exactly been lights out.
Their starters certainly have been their strength but they will need their bullpen to win.
If Sale is healthy, Hembree/Brasier/Thornberg/Workman are able to strand baserunners at a high rate, Price or Porcello pitches like a (second) ace, and Betts/Martinez stay hot, and the rest of the lineup gets timely hitting, the Sox have a 50/50 chance at winning in October.
Everything is 50/50 you knucklehead!
Lots of ifs….lots.
Jefflac, the bullpen overall makes me nauseous. That said, Price has pitched like the ace he’s being paid like. Their pitching will determine how far the team goes.
@MetsYankeesRedSox – The Rays do not have a 50/50 chance of making the playoffs, so I disagree that everything is 50/50.
I am likely still a knucklehead.
That bullpen doesn’t scare anybody! They have been lit up more than fourth of July firecrackers. Com on man be objective for a change in stead of a HOMER!
The 50/50 is just the odds of winning or losing.
i misunderstood the earlier post so I guess there’s multiple knuckleheads. Boy did I love Knucklehead Smith…
They said the same thing about the ’69 Mets.
He was Jerry Mahoney’s love child
Most loved Mahoney, I was a Smith fan.
Then why do the 2018 Red Sox get compared to the 2001 Seattle Mariners?
“Then why do the 2018 Red Sox get compared to the 2001 Seattle Mariners?” The playoffs haven’t even started yet, and the Red Sox still stand to have home field. So who’s doing the comparing, and how could they be doing it at this point?
“Don’t count your chickes before they hatch”
Those were your words. Why should it only apply to Yankee fans, and not Red Sox fans
Does Forbes work for you? Present both sides of the story.
forbes.com/sites/mikedowling/2018/08/16/the-2018-r…
“Does Forbes work for you” No it doesn’t, because like anything else news sources have to write about something. No one can make a legitimate comparison till everything is played out. The rebuttal to your post is the multiple sources already giving the ship to the Sox, and that’s not true yet either.
Read the final paragraph of that article:
“When off-season comparisons are made to this year’s Red Sox team, Boston fans hope that instead of bringing up the 2001 Mariners, the Red Sox will be compared to the 1984 Detroit Tigers or the 1976 Cincinnati Reds…”
My response to the first two posts is I see them being 2001 Mariners. Could be my bias. But, What do I know? Yanks have to get past WC.
Good article thanks!
Jamie Moyer 55 now and could still pitch better than some of today’s pitchers.
He was a pitcher and not just a thrower.
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
Profound, x. Is this Round Six?
If the 2018 Sox are compared to the ’01 Mariners, then they’ll lose to the Yankees
Because Yankee fans want to avoid looking in the mirror.
Some…
Some posters worry me at times. It’s like their toilet paper money is on the line they way they lose objectivity.
Yes because the mirror says we prevail and win it ALL!
LOL when you lose to the A’s.
Why do you say that? What experience does he have in the post season? Regular season is one thing, but the post season is completely different.
Even the great kershaw has gotten crushed more than once in the post season.
He was never hurt
Maybe not, but 146 innings of work for the year because he wears down doesn’t speak so well of his durability. His mechanics have got to start wearing on his arm over time with that funky delivery of his.
Sh_t all down arrows from Sox fans…..BOOBOOOBOOOO
The truth HURTS!!!!!!
Maybe you’re getting downvotes since this is going to be the first year since 2014 that he doesn’t get to 200 innings. As a Yankees fan, you are reaching
I tend to agree that his “injury” was one of the convenient variety, rather than anything serious. They’ve got a big lead, he’s a bit fragile and wears down easily anyway; why push it. And a Sale/Price combo,. at their ceiling level of performance, pretty much gets them to the World Series, maybe even a victory there.
They have a lot of toys; sometimes (agreed not always) the team with the most toys wins.
Convenient my A-s…..he’s supposed to be an ACE….and you shut him down after a very pedestrian 146 innings pitched????
You’re probably right, but there must be concerns on the Sox coaching staff as to how effective he will be with “normal” workload going into the playoffs.
Come on guys….146 innings is a pretty small workload for a #1 Ace!
Sale ain’t no Old Hoss Radbourne
I believe that Houston is still the team to beat they just seem to be little deeper then the Red Sox. In order for the Red Sox to win they will need Sale to be at the top of his game and the other starters to be top notch to have a chance. The playoffs are a crapshoot anyway. Should be a fun post season.
Bruin..yes, let’s all just wait until it’s played out before making any comparisons. It should be a great playoffs…
Totally agree. If they meet, pitching will determine the winner.
So are we treating this like a legitimate injury or not? Because I think there’s probably a 75% chance it’s made up just to make sure he’s fresh for the playoffs. When is the last time someone went to the DL with swelling? I mean he’s a pitcher, they all ice their arms down after the game for a reason. Seems like swelling would pretty much be an occupational hazard.
146 innings pitched isn’t “fresh for the playoffs”….there must be legitimate concern for how Sale handles the load going into the playoffs on the Sox side. Wear and Tear given that FUNKY delivery of his. Good Luck!
He went on the DL.. came off struck out 12 with about 70 pitches.. went back on the DL for the same reason “inflammation”
Tonight he will pitch about 2 innings. Probably give up a hit or two and strike out 3 or 4.. while slowly ramping up for the play offs while everyone needlessly wrings their hands..
I’m pretty sure it’s a little of both. Sale did say that he was dealing with mild shoulder inflammation but he also said that he deals with that every year at this time of the year. So I’m pretty sure he did have some inflammation in the shoulder. It is likely that he has pitched through it other years and, due to discomfort, changes his mechanics a little which made him less Chris Sale like at the end of the year. The Red Sox need Sale to be Sale like he is at the beginning of the year for the playoffs in order to have a chance.
We will know a lot more in the coming weeks and into the playoffs if it was more precautionary or if it is a structural injury. I think it was on WEEI said that Sale hit 100 in his last bullpen so doesn’t really sound structural to me but who really knows.
Raise the mound back up. Pitching needs some help with rise in home runs/ smaller parks/ different balls
Sale looks rusty in his first inning back but does manage 2 strikeouts but threw a lot of pitches fastball 95-97.