Levine: White Sox Have No Plans To Rest Struggling Chris Sale
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Will the real Chris Sale please move into the spotlight and stand up. The Sale we saw before the All-Star break was the most dominant in baseball this side of Zack Greinke, as he tied an MLB record for consecutive double-digit strikeout performances. In his past four starts for the White Sox, Sale has been struggled mightily, going 1-3 with a 7.61 ERA
What has changed? Sale insists he's OK.
"I feel good, my arm and body are fine," Sale said. "I am supposed to keep our streaks going. I had a chance to help us get to .500 (last week at Boston) and did not get it done. I just have to do better."
Sale talking about his lack of getting the job done is interesting. He insists his arm is fine, but his fastball seems to have less steam on them as of late.
"His stuff is still very nasty," an NL scout who has seen Sale six times in person during the 2015 campaign said. "The fastball command has not been the same. He does not usually get beat on the fastball like he has been as of late. Tired arm? I am not sure of that, because his breaking stuff is excellent."
Sale's last two starts have been a mystery to many, as the 26-year-old left-hander began to get hit around. Sale has surrendered a combined 14 earned runs in his last two starts, lasting only 10 1/3 innings. Knowing Sale's history of arm issues, I asked Chicago manager Robin Ventura if there was a chance the White Sox may skip a turn for their ace to get a breather.
Sale is 9-7 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season.
"I don't see skipping him," Ventura said. "In the past, we have done that. The time we did, his velocity had been in the low 90s, almost 80s. That is not what it is. You take your chances with a guy like that. If it was something physical, we would (rest him). We error on the side of doing that, but he doesn't feel that way. We don't feel that way."
The White Sox were cautious with Sale coming out of the break. He didn't pitch in the All-Star Game and was backed up to the last rotation start as the second half opened.
"The command might not have been there," Ventura said about Sale surrendering seven earned runs in the loss to Tampa on Tuesday. "The fastballs he threw were hit pretty far. For him, he has other pitches, and I think they were sitting on his fastball. They got him early by hitting some homers. He adjusted and went with some off-speed stuff. When he has his really good fastball he can locate, he is even tougher."
The consensus is that teams are sitting on Sa;e's fastballs early in the count over the past four outings. With an off-day coming Thursday, Sale will have the extra day of rest before his next start.
"We are always looking for that day," Ventura said. "Right now an extra day means a lot. All of the starters are going to get it. It will help (Chris), just like it will help everyone else."
Although Sale started the season briefly on the DL with a foot injury sustained in the early part of spring training, he's on pace to have 32 starts in 2015. Sale has never had more than 30 starts in a season, due to injury occurrences in prior campaigns.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
