Is Chris Sale going to start for the Red Sox in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series? We still don't know yet.
Prior to Game 4, Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained his team's plans when it comes to the veteran starter.
"Most likely but we’ll see how it goes today," said Cora when asked Tuesday afternoon if Sale would get the start at Fenway Park Wednesday afternoon. "We’d hate to use him out of the bullpen but he’s available. And we’ll try to stay away from him if possible. Kind of the same situation with Nick. We’ll see. It’s the same situation as (Nick) Pivetta yesterday."
At one point, Cora insinuated that the Red Sox were going to stay away from using Sale out of the bullpen. But, after some consultation with participants in the equation, the manager has changed course.
"Yeah, but at the same time, talking to the medical staff and talking to Chris, they feel like he can give us one inning out of the bullpen," Cora said. "So we’ll never - if they feel that way, we’ll keep our options open, right? And see what we can do today. And if we can be aggressive and there’s a pocket there for him that we’re comfortable with, we may use him."
Sale only got eight outs in his Game 1 outing, giving up a run while allowing six hits to the Astros.
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