Chris Sale is carrying his struggles from the last two months of the season into the playoffs. In his Game 1 start against the Astros, Sale posted a game score of 17, tied for the third-worst in Red Sox history. The company is, surprisingly, not awful -- Sale is tied with Josh Beckett. Only Matt Clement (14) and Good Ol' Smokey Joe Wood (15) have had worse outings.
| Red Sox starter | Playoff series, game | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | HR | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matt Clement | Game 1 of 2005 ALDS vs. CHW (L, 2-14) | 3.1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
Smoky Joe Wood | Game 7 of 1912 WS vs. NYG (L, 4-11) | 1.0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Chris Sale | Game 1 of 2018 ALDS vs. HOU (L, 8-2) | 5.0 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
Josh Beckett | Game 2 of 2018 ALCS vs. TB (L, 8-9) | 4.1 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
Jake Peavy | Game 4 of 2013 ALCS vs. DET (L, 3-7) | 3.0 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
Sale exited the game with five innings pitched, nine hits allowed, seven runs (all earned) allowed, a walk and three homes given up. Two of those home runs came off the bat of Jose Altuve, who is having a historic game in his own right. It's been the story of the past few months for Sale, but right now it should just be chalked up as a bad start.
Back-to-back CRUSH jobs in the first. The #ALDS is off to a powerful start. pic.twitter.com/znEcoZIAXD
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2017
Is there a higher level? This game is too easy for @JoseAltuve27. #ALDS pic.twitter.com/SWfYBATmIR
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2017
In spite of the anomaly of it, there is reason to be concerned. Sale has becoming susceptible to the long ball in recent months, giving up nine in September after allowing 15 the rest of the season. Sale will have to try to work out those kinks, as the Red Sox will have to call on him again in this series if it goes to four games.
