|
|
A TEAM THAT COULDN'T
April 20, 2017 ... All Chris Sale needed was one run and the Red Sox got him that in the top of the ninth inning, Xander Bogaerts slapping a ball down the right-field line to score Mitch Moreland from second base with two outs. Bogaerts went to second base and slid in awkwardly, jamming his left thumb. He was initially called safe before a video replay overturned the call. Had Bogaerts been called out, Sale might have come back out to finish off what was one of the best starts of his career. But as the umpires waited for a decision, Red Sox manager John Farrell made his own call to bring in closer Craig Kimbrel for the final three outs. It proved to be a mistake that was later rectified when the Red Sox won, 4-1, in 10 innings. But the clubhouse was oddly subdued afterward and the manager seemed almost angry with himself. The Sox have won five of six but the postgame focus was more on what could have been. Toronto’s Kendrys Morales hammered Kimbrel’s second pitch over the fence in center field to tie the score. But Kimbrel was able to end the inning from there and the Sox won in the 10th on a three-run double by Mookie Betts. Sale was at least left with that satisfaction. The lefthander allowed four singles and a walk over eight dominant innings and struck out 13. He threw a remarkable 80 of 102 pitches for strikes. But he was not allowed to finish what he so grandly started. For Sale, it was no decision at all. He wanted to stay in the game. The Sox are 3-1 in the games Sale has started but have scored only four runs when he has been on the mound. He could easily be 4-0 but is instead 1-1.
Facing Jason Grilli, the Sox scored three runs in the 10th inning. Sandy Leon drew a walk before Brock Holt singled. Holt had been 1 for 14 on the season. Marco Hernandez ran for Leon. Andrew Benintendi walked with two outs to load the bases. Betts then pulled a three-run double down the line in left. Sale was the first pitcher to throw at least eight shutout innings with 13 or more strikeouts this season. He has accomplished that four times in his career. In his four starts, he has allowed three earned runs on 15 hits over 29⅔ innings and struck out a major-league leading 42 with only six walks. Opponents are 15 of 102 (.147) against him. He has a 0.91 earned run average and one win. Toronto starter Marco Estrada threw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits. He walked two and struck out seven. The Red Sox never came close to scoring against him. |
.jpg)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
 |
 |
