It's really not that complicated.
The Red Sox' success was primarily built on the backs of their starting pitchers, and nobody's back was supposed to be bigger, stronger and more reliable than Chris Sale. This was the pitcher who represented the optimism when it came to Alex Cora's club's chances in the biggest moments against the best teams.
The image the Sox have been with, however, simply doesn't work.
Sale has turned into just another guy, one who is sitting with a 3-9 record and 4.29 ERA after his uncomfortable outing in the Red Sox' 11-2 loss against the Dodgers. His last four starts have resulted in a 7.59 ERA, with the five runs over 4 2/3 innings against Los Angeles certainly not helping matters. (For a complete recap of the Sox' loss, click here.)
Perhaps we have tempered the urgency when it comes to Sale. There was, after all, the 10-start run which he showed his dominant self, compiling a 2.17 ERA and .162 ERA, suggesting normalcy was right around the corner. And the accountability so many crave in these parts has continued to be put on full display, as was evident once again after the latest debacle.
"I’m fine. Just not getting it done," said Sale when asked if he had any physical woes. "I usually can go out there and find a way, navigate your way through a game. You’re going to hit some rough patches and things like that, and I’m usually able to get out of it. But for whatever reason, the cards aren’t falling my way, luck’s not going my way, and I’m not helping myself out either. So, I’ve got no other excuses. Just not getting it done. No other way to paint it. No other way to put it. Nobody else to blame. In a way, I guess that’s a good thing. It’s all on me, so I gotta look within, dig deep, and find a way to get out of it."
All well and good.
But the reality is that Sale is the guy who has to be the Red Sox not-so-secret weapon. Forget the Dodgers. The Sox are staring at what may be a make-or-break run of 13 straight games against the Rays and Yankees starting July 22, with this team desperately needing an ace or two to lean on.
That was, and is, supposed to be the calling card for Sale. The guy who you can throw against the best of the best when it is needed the most and know the results are going to be to your liking. Coming into this season, over the past two seasons Sale had pitched against the Yanks and Tampa Bay a combined 15 times, totaling a combined 2.12 ERA in those starts. This time around the Red Sox have lost all three of his outings against the American League elite.
Sure, David Price's performance to date has helped, as has the idea that Eduardo Rodriguez is doing what he's doing. And the addition of Andrew Cashner into the rotation should offer a bit more certainty. Still, Sale is supposed to be the kind of next-level which makes this whole thing work.
This season the Red Sox are 6-13 in his starts. Last year? They were 18-9. Get the picture?
"We need to get this right, and that’s on us, the coaching staff," Cora said of Sale. "Whether it’s mechanics or usage or whatever, we have to get him in the right place. We’ll look hard the next four days and he’ll be out there on Thursday and be ready to go."
The Red Sox' bullpen took a hit in the seventh inning when Steven Wright was driven from the game after being hit in the foot by a Max Muncy line-drive. Wright, who had already given up a pair of home runs, immediately left the game. The Red Sox announced X-rays were negative.