Chris Sale struggles against the Orioles continue, ‘I’m just not getting it done’
The Red Sox collected 23 hits and scored 12 runs, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the first place Orioles on Saturday night.
“We were a starting pitcher away from winning this game,” said Chris Sale who gave up seven runs in 4 innings. “I mean, we scored 12 (expletive) runs. I mean, what is going on? Just frustrating. Very disappointing.”
Sale struggled on the mound, yielding seven runs, six earned, surrendering six hits, two walks while striking out five. The southpaw has struggled against the Orioles in three starts this season. He has allowed 18 earned runs in 12 innings while posting a 13.50 ERA. The Orioles have hit Sale hard, recording 22 hits, including five homers off - two of the home runs came in Saturday’s loss.
“We can dissect this any which way. I’m just not getting it done,” Sale said. “I’ve gotta find a way to find a way. I’m supposed to be something on this team and I’m not. Anybody that knows me knows that that’s just unbelievably frustrating and disappointing. I have a lot of expectations and I try to meet those. And it’s just tough not (to).”
Sale looked strong over the first two innings but quickly fell apart after allowing four runs in the third inning. Former Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks crushed a 381-foot homer off Sale that smacked off the Plymouth Rock sign above the Green Monster.
The Orioles quickly went up 5-2 and added another two runs in the fourth after James McCann hit a 406-foot homer off Sale.
“It just kind of fell apart,” Sale said. “Command started getting kind of all over the place. The stuff wasn’t there either. They took advantage of it.”
Following the first two innings, it looked like Sale was running out of gas on the mound. He opened the third frame with three fastballs registering at 88, 90 and 89 mph. Following back-to-back walks, Anthony Santander crushed a changeup over the heart of the plate to tie the game 2-2 and then the wheels came off.
Since returning from the injured list in mid-August, Sale owns a 5.86 ERA.
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