Red Sox's Chris Sale: Looking to avoid end-of-season slump

Sale acknowledged his late-season struggles in 2017 and plans to take measures to avoid a similar fate this season, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Sale admitted he was trying way too hard early in the season, ramping his fastball up to the mid-90s along with a wipeout slider in spring training. That carried over into the season's first half but was unsustainable over the long haul. His downturn started Aug. 1, when he allowed seven runs over five innings to the Indians and led to a 4.09 ERA over his final 11 starts. "You know I was new here last year. I came in and I felt like I had to prove something," Sale told reporters. "So I felt, part of me felt I had to come in and say 'hey, this is what you're getting.'" The left-hander said there's a different plan in place this year. Sale's reduced the amount of throws made during the offseason and will continue in that same vein in spring training.