Chris Sale gets roughed up by Orioles in longest outing of spring

BOSTON -- The regular season is fast approaching, which means the preseason work is running out. For Chris Sale, the most recent effort didn't go very well.

Sale, who won't be the Red Sox' Opening Day starter next Thursday at Fenway Park, took the mound Tuesday for what will likely be his second-to-last start of spring training. It went poorly right from the jump, with the Orioles hitting two homers in the first inning. The first was hit by Adley Rutschman, and the next came two batters later from Ryan Mountcastle.

The O's then plated three runs in the second with four straight hits, leaving the Red Sox in a 5-0 hole. Adam Frazier doubled to lead off the second, before Ryan O'Hearn singled. Jorge Mateo then doubled, bringing home Frazier, and Kyle Stowers singled to drive in two runs.  

Sale was able to get the next three Orioles out to stop the bleeding, but not before Baltimore had hit two homers and two doubles off the left-hander in a span of seven batters.

The runs were the first ones allowed by Sale this spring. He pitched two shutout innings against Detroit on March 6, and he pitched three shutout innings against the Twins on March 11. He allowed just three hits across those five innings, before allowing six hits and five runs (all earned) on Tuesday.

Sale came back out for the third inning and allowed a double to Mountcastle and a single to Ramon Urias to start the frame. Mountcastle scored on a 4-6-3 double play, and Sale got O'Hearn to ground out to end the third inning.

Sale settled down in the fourth inning, allowing only a bunt single and a two-out walk while striking out Anthony Santander to end the frame with no further damage. He then recorded a 1-2-3 fifth inning to finish off his longest outing of the spring.

Though his final two innings were clean, the damage had been done: Nine hits and six runs with one walk and two strikeouts.

The results, obviously, weren't ideal. But Sale did make it through five innings. He'll likely have one more spring start before taking the mound in a real game in the first weekend of April at Fenway Park.