Chris Sale K's 12, Dominates Orioles In Return From Disabled List
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Baltimore Orioles didn't stand a chance against Red Sox ace Chris Sale on Sunday.
After getting a few weeks off to rest a sore shoulder, Sale was back to mowing down the opposition on Sunday. The lefty ace made it look easy against the lowly Orioles in his return from the disabled list, allowing just one baserunner while striking out 12 over his five innings of work in Boston's 4-1 victory on Sunday.
Sale was on a 75-pitch limit, but only needed 68 pitches to breeze through his five frames. He threw 48 of those 68 pitches for strikes, and became just the seventh pitcher ever to strike out 12 batters in five innings or fewer.
"Seemed like he didn't miss a beat even being on the disabled list," manager Alex Cora said after Boston completed their four-game sweep of the O's.
Sale struck out every batter in the Baltimore lineup at least once, and was throwing some serious gas throughout his start, setting down five batters on pitches of 99 MPH or faster. He had his arsenal working for him on Sunday, mixing in a changeup that clocked in around 90 MPH and that devastating slider that has made opposing hitters look silly all season.
"I was fired up to get back out there. It's what I do, it's my job," said Sale, who improved to 12-4 with the victory on Sunday "I'm not a big fan of sitting on the sidelines."
With Sunday's dominance, Sale lowered his season ERA to 1.97, the best in the American League. He also leads all of baseball with a 0.85 WHIP and opponents batting average, which sits at just .175.
The Red Sox have done a great job this season limiting Sale's workload in hopes of preserving their ace for the postseason. He admitted that his two-week break could lead to more of these kinds of dominant starts late in the season, when the lefty has struggled throughout his career. Sale will have a few extra days before he takes the mound again, with a pair of off-days for Boston this coming week. He likely won't toe the rubber again until next Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays.