Looking at the stats after his first three starts of the year, Chris Sale has been dynamite.
The left-hander is just 1-0, but has a 1.06 ERA and has struck out 23 batters in 17 innings of work. The numbers suggest he's at his best, but watching him pitch in these games indicates he can be even better.
On Opening Day against the Rays, he was a little erratic and walked three batters. In his next start in Miami his pitch count was driven up so he could only go five innings, and then Tuesday against the Yankees -- a 14-1 Red Sox win -- although he allowed one run over six innings, he still allowed eight hits and wasn't completely dominant.
Even though Sale didn't have his best overall stuff, and the 38-degree temperatures at game time could have played into it, it still was his best performance of the season.
"Excellent," manager Alex Cora said. "Better slider than the first two outings. He was able to work ahead, use the fastball upstairs and mix it in with the slider. That was a good job. He was going to go out for the next inning but then it opened up and it made no sense for us to send him out there.
"Out of the three starts, that was his best one and he's getting better."
Sale went six innings, allowed one run on eight hits and struck out eight. It was his 17th start since the start of last season allowing one run or less, which is tied for the most in the American League.
"Felt good tonight," he said. "Helps when they score two touchdowns and kick both field goals, so that's nice."
Sale also admitted he was a bit jacked up to face the Yankees for the first time this season.
"I mean it's hard to say no, honestly," said Sale. "Obviously both of us are really good teams. We've got really good lineups. We're in the same division. Long history together. So yeah there's a little heightened sense, but at the end of the day you're just trying to go out there and do what you always do and not let it overwhelm you."
So while Sale has been excellent to open the season, just watching him pitch it can be seen how he can be even better.
It's also worth noting how relaxed the team has been to open the year and that will not only benefit him, but the entire team.
"I think it's really important," Sale said. "I think you can go through all the cliches, it's a long season, we've got a lot of games left blah blah blah blah blah, but you see the morale in here. You see the energy, the confidence, kind of the easiness, it allows you to go out there and just play. There's no pressing the panic button early. We're just going out there and playing the game and I think we have a lot of trust and a lot of faith in one another.
"And shoot, even the other night. I mean, we're down five runs but there was no panic. There was never any doubt in anyone's mind that we couldn't do what we did, and we ended up winning that game. So I think that just goes to show what kind of guys we have in here and hell of a lineup we have."
