Though he’s on the DL for the second time in less than a month, Chris Sale’s shoulder apparently isn’t bothering him too much.
When August first rolled around and the Boston Red Sox unleashed a four-game sweep over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, it appeared as if Boston was going to cruise right to its third consecutive AL East title. The Red Sox eventually stretched the division lead over New York to as many as 10.5 games.
But they’ve since hit a slump, losing six of their last eight, and the Yankees have narrowed that lead down to just six games. Meanwhile, Red Sox ace Chris Sale is currently on his second stint on the DL in less than a month, both times due to shoulder inflammation.
It’s starting to look like Boston might need to get Sale back in the rotation sooner rather than later in an effort to fend off the Yankees, who have won 16 of their last 20 and are closing in fast. Fortunately for the Red Sox, Sale is in very good spirits about his shoulder.
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe recently asked Sale how his shoulder feels, and Sale gave a reassuring – and slightly odd – answer.
“Like Paul Bunyan’s ox,” he said.
Sale’s shoulder must actually be feeling pretty good if he’s cracking jokes about it. Though it is slightly unsettling that he’s made two trips to the DL in less than a month, it still appears that there is nothing serious going on with his shoulder. And at the very least, his arm is getting much needed rest ahead of the upcoming playoffs.
Sale has said a few times that if the Red Sox were playing must-win games, he wouldn’t be missing his starts. They’ve been able to take it easy a little bit over the last few weeks with such a large lead in the division, but with the Yankees having cut it down to just six games still with five weeks of season left to play, the Red Sox might be calling upon their ace again very soon.