Chris Sale was too good Friday night to be mourning a Red Sox loss.
He was historically good, that's how good. We're talking a career-high 15 strikeouts and no walks over nine innings. But, alas, Sale walked away with no chance to claim a win. The last time such an occurence took place in Major League Baseball, where a pitcher struck out that many hitters while taking a no-decision? Mark Prior in 2004, with Randy Johnson also suffering the same fate in 2001.
Sure, Sale wasn't totally without blame, allowing a solo homer with two outs in the seventh inning to light-hitting Luke Maile to tie things up. But, still ...
It took until the 12th inning for the Blue Jays to seal the Red Sox' fate, with Maile hitting his second homer of the night -- this one a two-run job off Brian Johnson -- for a 5-3 Toronto win in the series opener. But big picture? This can't keep happening. (For a complete recap, click here.)
The final stamp ALWAYS belongs to the Maile Man. #Walkoff -- pic.twitter.com/nWSaW9f6ji
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 12, 2018Sale has been living the life of a legitimate ace once again, reclaiming his wipeout slider (one Alex Cora called the pitcher's best of the season) while cranking up a fastball that hit 98 mph in the ninth inning. He managed an impressive 26 swings and misses, the second-most of his career. That's why the fact that the Red Sox are now just 5-4 in the lefty's starts is really not a great sign.
Add in the notion that the Red Sox are a combined 8-8 with their No. 1 and 2 (David Price) starters entering the season on the mound, and that should be an area of some interest. Sale's effort can't keep being wasted, and Price needs to start figuring things out if Cora's club is going to find any seperation with the Yankees.
So, what happened this time around?
- Sale took a bit to get rolling, allowing runs in each of the first two innings. NESN's Jerry Remy surmised that the Red Sox choosing to have catcher Sandy Leon offer multiple sign -- potentially eliminating the stealing of signs -- had an impact, with the starter retiring 15 in a row after a trip to the mound by pitching coach Dana LeVangie.
- After Xander Bogaerts' mammoth home run, that gave the Red Sox the lead in the fourth inning, the visitors would fail to claim a hit for the next seven innings. Perhaps it was the fatigue from getting in at 4 a.m. But, regardless, the Sox have totaled 10 runs in the four games Sale has pitched in his team's losses.
- The Red Sox' bullpen walked three more batters, including Johnson's free pass to Curtis Granderson on four pitches to kick off the 12th inning. In the last four games the relievers have walked 11 in 10 2/3 innings.
The good news for the Red Sox is that Sale is as dominant as we witnessed a year ago. The bad news? Their perceived biggest source of certainty has become somewhat uncertain.
While the Red Sox did claim one home run thanks to Bogaerts, they missed another by no more than a couple of inches. J.D. Martinez's blast in the third inning hit the very top of the wall, ultimately resulting in an inning-ending out thanks to Hanley Ramirez trying to score on Martinez's double.
J.D. Martinez came as close to hitting a home run as you can without hitting a home run. See mark on top of wall (h/t Matt Tehan) pic.twitter.com/Z3sOnH5mEr
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) May 12, 2018
