Alex Cora gives ominous update on Chris Sale before postseason

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave an update on starting pitcher Chris Sale ahead of the AL Wild Card game on Tuesday night.

The Boston Red Sox had an interesting week, where they overcame a series loss to the Baltimore Orioles to clinch the top Wild Card spot in the American League with a sweep over the Washington Nationals this past weekend. Starting pitcher Chris Sale pitched on Sunday in the 7-5 victory, but was pulled in the third inning.

While speaking with the media on Monday, manager Alex Cora gave an update on Sale, where he  brought up that the lefty’s changeup “is not where it was.”

Red Sox: Will Chris Sale pitch in postseason?

When it comes to Sale pitching in the postseason, that will first be dependent on the Red Sox beating the New York Yankees in the Wild Card game on Tuesday night. If they do so, they will face the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays in a best-of-five Division Series.

Cora did bring up that Sale did try to convince him to pitch in the Wild Card game, but he said no. Instead, Nathan Eovaldi will be on the mound on Tuesday night to face his former team in the Yankees. Gerrit Cole will receive the start for New York.

Speaking of the changeup, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com notes that opposing batters are 18-for-40 when Sale throws that specific pitch, including two home runs and two doubles.

This past Sunday, Sale only pitched 2.1 innings, where he surrendered two earned runs on four hits while striking out seven batters. Sale had only pitched nine games this season after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

If the Red Sox are to advance to the ALDS, Sale’s status will be worth monitoring to see if he will get the chance to pitch this postseason.