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Red Sox, Chris Sale ‘Flat out Embarrassed’ by Performance

By Manny Gómez|
BRONX, NY - APRIL 16: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
BRONX, NY - APRIL 16: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Boston Red Sox entered the 2019 season with an earned swagger. However, 2-weeks later and a 6-12 record, and the team’s confidence is waning.

The Boston Red Sox entered the 2019 season anticipating struggles out of the bullpen. To their surprise, however, the pen hasn’t been the problem. Instead, a deep lack of confidence seems to have taken hold of the team starting with the team’s top two players, Chris Sale and Mookie Betts.

Entering the series against the ailing New York Yankees, the Sox were looking for a spark to start the engine. Sale, who previously had bemoaned his atrocious start to the season, was to face off against Yankee lineup that featured guys like Gio Urshela and Mike Tauchman in the series opener.

To begin, Sale looked sharp in the first, striking out DJ LeMahieu on a 94 MPH fastball. That’s 3 MPH faster than his average velocity this season. Maybe good things were finally ahead.

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Then, in the second inning, things were looking better for Sale. For the first time this season, Sale touched 97 MPH and retired six Yankee hitters in a row. The increase in velocity in his fastball made his slider look even harder to hit.

Everything would unravel in the 3rd inning, however, and the Yanks never looked back after that. Ultimately, the Yanks would hand Sale his 4th loss in the year, matching his loss total for all of 2018 in just 4 GS this season.

After the game, an understandably ill-tempered Sale proclaimed, “This is flat-out embarrassing. For my family, for our team, for our fans. This is about as bad as it gets. Like I said, I have to pitch better.”

Comments like those, have come to define the Red Sox in 2019. They elude a lack of confidence, and it seems to be spreading across the team.

Just recently, Betts took a similar stance. After losing to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, Betts shouldered the blame, saying, “What I’m doing right now is unacceptable.”

At 6-12, the start to the 2019 season is the worst since the 1996 Boston Red Sox started 3-15. And as the losses keep on coming and the team’s best players continue to struggle, the ripple effect on the rest of the organization seems to be taking hold.

At the end of the day, however, the Sox are only 2 games behind the Yanks in the standings and stand side-by-side with the “Bronx Bombers” in their disappointing start to the 2019 season.

The difference between both teams is that while the Yankees have suffered a plethora of injuries to their team, the Red Sox are currently fielding their best players.

What we do know is that self-loathing isn’t the answer to turning the ship around. Just six months ago you were on top of the world. It’s time to act like it.

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