Tag Archives: Chris Sale

David Price is Back

The Red Sox have been on a tear to start the season, sitting behind the Yankees by mere percentage points while owning the most wins in baseball. Offense has been the talk of the town for this Sox team, as the team leads the majors in runs, hits, and batting average. They are second in home runs and RBIs, trailing only the Yankees. As fantastic as MLB’s top offense has been through 65 games, they have received a lot of help from their All-Star pitching core in Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, and David Price.

Price’s Hot Streak

No pitcher on the team has been hotter than Price as of late. Last night Price delivered the team a fifth win in his last six outings. He pitched for six innings and gave up only two runs on five hits. This is Price’s second longest winning streak of his career.

“I’m throwing the baseball better and I’m throwing better strikes,” said Price. “I’m throwing it better when I have two outs and that has kind of been my Achilles’ heel this year, giving up that big hit with two outs and runners in scoring position. That is something that has hurt me a lot.”

In Price’s last six starts, he owns a 2.89 ERA, 1.1 whip, and 9.64 K/9 innings. His velocity is up and his confidence is back.

Playoff Demons

After appearing in only 16 games in the 2017 season (five of which came out of the bullpen), people started to become concerned about his future. Boston gave Price the largest pitching contract in MLB history in 2016 (7-years, $217 million). He responded with a 17-9 record in his debut season, but failed to live up to expectations in the playoffs as his team was swept handily by the Indians.

In his lone playoff start, Price gave up five runs in only 3.5 innings before being pulled from the game. Playoff demons have haunted Price throughout his career, demons Boston hoped to eliminate when they signed him on.

Now it looks as if Price will be given a second chance to right the ship and prove he can step up in October. He is pitching with a purpose, like a man on a mission to prove the doubters wrong. When asked about Price’s recent stretch of success, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, “There’s purpose behind every pitch”. With his team holding the second best record in baseball, all indications point to a long playoff run for the Red Sox.

David Price is Back

In a season full of purpose for the Sox, Price is delivering all the right things at the right time. He holds a 4.0 ERA on the season and has a 7-4 record. He has recorded 72 strikeouts in just 74.1 innings played thus far. As long as he can continue delivering for the team Boston will continue to roll.

Now is the time for Price to earn his record-breaking contract and show the world why the Red Sox invested so much into him only a few short years ago.

You can find me on Twitter @Celtichottakes

The Red Sox Need Another Right Handed Starter

Leave a reply

With 4 southpaws in the starting rotation, adding another right handed starting pitcher would help bring more transition throughout series.

As of right now, the rotation consists of Sale,Price,Porcello,Rodriguez, and Pomeranz. Does anyone else spot the problem? There is only one right handed starter!!! Sure, Steven Wright has recently been activated by the Red Sox but will he make an impact? Well, his last start was April 29, 2017, and he will start his way back as a bullpen player ( for now.)

The rotation has struggled a little bit within the last two series. Within the last seven days, the starting rotation sports a 4.33 ERA in 54 innings pitched with a 3-3 record. Compared to April where they sported a 3.40 ERA in 230.1 innings pitched with a 19-6 record.

While the month of May has seen a decline, now is the time to make the adjustments that are so desperately needed. There are many different low cost candidates that the team could look for in a trade before the trade deadline.

Trade Candidate: Julio Teheran Atlanta Braves

The 27 year old is molding a marvelous season thus far, with a 4-1 record throughout his first 9 starts, he sports a 3.49 era in 49 innings pitched with 43 strikeouts. In his last start against the Chicago Cubs, he lasted 6 innings while giving up 4 earned runs on 4 hits and only 1 strikeout. While he’s not totally a makeshift player, he has lights out stuff. What would it cost in a trade? In short, it all depends on his market value up until the trade deadline. With the right mentoring, he could blossom into a powerful name in the future.

Trade Candidate: Dan Straily Miami Marlins

The 29 year old finished his first full season in 2017. In 2018 he has a 1-0 record with a 5.54 era in 13 innings during his first three starts. While he has never had eye popping stats, he is a ground ball pitcher. He does pitch well in hitter friendly ballparks. Like Miami, Fenway is a hitter friendly park. He has a very team friendly contract, only making $3.375 million this season with three years of arbitration afterward.

With the team still in great shape, there are so many avenues the team could take.Time will tell.

Boston Red Sox vs Oakland Athletics Series Recap

Leave a reply

The Red Sox will be back home in Boston after their 11 day road trip. Facing the Oakland Athletics are Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Chris Sale. The Sox have won the last seven out of 13 games, while Oakland won five out the last 12 games. The Red Sox will face pitcher Sean Manaea for the first time since his no hitter game in April. The Sox hope that being on Fenway soil will help them defeat the Athletics. This series will also be the last time that the Red Sox will face the Athletics during the regular season.

Porcello vs. Manaea

Sean Manaea pitched a no hitter to the Red Sox last month. J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers each hit a solo home run for the Red Sox. Porcello let up five runs and nine hits over six innings, and struck out five. Trailing in the fourth inning, the Athletics grasped the lead with three runs. Lucroy had a two-run double into the left-field corner before Fowler tripled off the Monster. The Red Sox caught up 4-3 in the fifth, when Hanley Ramirez scored a run with a ground ball. J.D. Martinez hit straight out to the Sox bullpen in the eighth to score. Benintendi and Ramirez got back to back RBI singles. Unfortunately, it was not enough, and Oakland won Monday night’s game 6-5.

“We talked about not expanding down in the zone,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “Overall, we did a good job of it. His stuff is still good.”

“2B Dustin Pedroia (recovering from offseason left knee surgery) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. He singled and scored a run in three at-bats while playing five innings at second base.”

Rodriguez vs. Mengden

Due to the weather, the 7:10 start time moved to 8:50 on Tuesday night. As a result, Oakland beat the Sox in nine innings. Rodriguez took his first loss of the season after Oakland had six hits through the first three innings, starting with back-to-back singles by Semien and Pinder to start the game. Piscotty hit a monster home run out of Fenway Park in his first at-bat against Rodriguez. Piscotty’s home run was the first he had hit since his mother’s death on May 6th. Andrew Benintendi hit a homer and Mitch Moreland hit two doubles.

“It was pure joy. It’s been an emotional week,” said Piscotty, whose mother, Gretchen, died May 6 after a one-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. She was 55.”

“We haven’t been able to put them away,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “They’re young and it seems like they’re turning a corner. Whatever they’re doing over there is pretty good.”

Sale vs. Cahill – A Sale Day Win to Avoid an Athletics Series Sweep

In Rafael Devers’s 100th major league game, the Sox came out with a win. Xander Bogaerts hit a three run homer, and J.D. Martinez hit a two run homer. Chris Sale gave up two runs and two hits in five innings. Sale also struck out nine and walked four. Trevor Cahill gave up three runs out of the first four batters he faced. After Sale’s career high 15 strikouts in his last outing, he struggled, but hung on long enough to keep the Sox up over the Athletics. Craig Kimbrel grasped his 12th save of the season and avoided the Sox meeting their season high losing streak. The Sox beat the Athletics 6-4 after Xander and J.D. had quite the night.

“It’s pretty impressive what he does when you’re behind looking at him,” Bogaerts said. “Normally I’m a guy who gets to the on-deck circle a little bit later. I’ve got to get there early if he swings at the first pitch and gets a hit. He hits some bombs on the first pitch.”

“Four walks, that’s not my game,” Sale said. “That’s not who I am. Obviously, you want to be better than that. Anytime your bullpen throws almost as many innings as you do, that’s not what you’re looking for.”

Up Next

The Red Sox will be at home again to face the Orioles for a four game series starting Thursday. David Price will be up first for his Fenway return. Dustin Pedroia will play another game in Pawtucket by the end of the week as Tuesday night’s game was postponed due to the weather. Jackie Bradley Jr. is still spending an immense amount of time on the bench as he has constantly had bad games. Cora is hoping that Bradley Jr. will come out of his slump soon, as he has been working on improving both his defense and his offense.

Sources

Statcast

MLB

Red Sox Twitter

NESN

ESPN

Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays Recap

Leave a reply

In the final leg of the road trip, the Red Sox head north to face the Blue Jays for a three game series before heading back to Fenway. Cora made the announcement that Dustin Pedroia and Tyler Thornburg will be playing on Monday and Tuesday for rehab assignment in Pawtucket. David Price is also back with the team after missing a game to get x-rays on his hand in Boston. Chris Sale, Davis Price, and Drew Pomeranz will be the starting pitchers in this series.

Sale vs Sanchez – Toronto Takes the Win

Chris Sale pitches his best game of the season. Fifteen strikeouts in nine innings. Xander Bogaerts hit a homer towards center field to bring the score 2-1 Sox leading in the second. The Sox ultimately fell to the Blue Jays 5-3 in 12 innings. Sandy Leon struck out swinging, but the ball bounced back, allowing Brock Holt to score coming from first base. Chris Sale struck out 15 of the Blue Jays and let up zero walks. He joins Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens as only the third pitcher in Sox history to do so. Jackie Bradley Jr. sat out for his third straight game to hopefully get him out of his slump. He is expected to be in the lineup the next day.

“That was impressive,” Alex Cora said. “That slider was the best of the season. He was outstanding. ”

“You’ve got to tip your cap, he had himself a heck of a night. “

Price vs Estrada – A Comeback win after Injury

David Price made his first appearance since the x-rays we’re taken on his hand to discover that he had Carpal Tunnel. The Sox took the lead 5-2 for the game win. In 93 pitches, Price let up: five hits and three walks. He struck out six Blue Jays. Hanley Ramirez hit a two run homer, after Andrew Benintendi hit a double to bring in Rafael Devers and Mookie Betts. Ramirez had himself quite a game, racking up three home runs and seven RBIs in the last four games. The Sox scored at least five runs for the 24th time this season, which is the most in the MLB. Both Hector Velazquez and Joe Kelly pitched scoreless innings before Kimbrel entered the game. Craig Kimbrel came out to get his 11th save of the season.

“I saw something different in the way he pitched today. Everything. There was a difference in speeds. Mixing up the breaking ball is very important. He induced some weak contact. They hit a few balls hard too. But I think he pitched great ” – Cora on Price’s performance

“It was good to get back out there,” Price said. “The more I threw, the better I felt. To me, that’s always a good sign.”

Pomeranz vs Biagini – Sox Return Home with a win in Toronto

All players in the MLB wore pink in honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday. Hanley Ramirez, although he wasn’t in the lineup, had on catchers gear and was ready to play. A loose Hanley leads to a fun and much looser Red Sox lineup. Drew Pomeranz let up three runs and four hits, while only making it under six innings. Toronto was up 5-3 in the fifth as Hector Velazquez came in to replace Drew Pomeranz. J. D. Martinez homered and had three RBI’s, while Mookie Betts made the unbelievable “deal catch” to prove that he really is a Gold Glove player. Joe Kelly racked up his second save of the season Sunday afternoon.

“He’s becoming a force, not only the field but in the clubhouse, in the dugout,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s becoming a leader. It’s fun to watch. On a daily basis you’re expecting something great and he’ll do it.”

“To come out of a road trip like that is definitely something to be proud of,” said reliever Joe Kelly.

Up Next

The Red Sox will be back home at Fenway to face the Oakland Athletics Monday through Wednesday. Then the Orioles will come to town for a four game series. Dustin Pedroia will start his rehab assignment on Monday in Pawtucket with Tyler Thornburg. Pedroia hopes to return during the end of May.

Sources

Red Sox Twitter

MLB

ESPN

Statcast

NESN

Why Can’t the Red Sox Hit When Chris Sale Pitches?

Leave a reply

Chris Sale Having a Rough Start with Run Support

Chris Sale had a great season during his first year in a Red Sox uniform. This season, though, Sale has a record of 2-1 after seven games. For some reason, the Red Sox can’t hit the baseball when Chris Sale pitches. So far he’s pitched 42 innings, allowed 31 hits, 11 runs, 51 strikeouts, and four walks according to baseball reference. He’s giving up four home runs too. His ERA currently is 2.14. He pitches well, but the Red Sox can’t seem to find the hitting they need to win games when he’s on the mound.

The Seven Starts Chris Sale Has Pitched

Through the seven starts Chris Sale has started, the batting average as a team is .159. The Red Sox have scored 36 runs in the seven starts that Chris Sale pitches. When Chris hasn’t pitched, the Red Sox have scored 118 runs. On April 22nd, the Red Sox were 11-0 when anyone other than Chris Sale or David Price pitches. The Red Sox are 7-5 when Chris Sale or David Price pitch.

Since the beginning of the season, the Red Sox are 17-0 when Chris Sale doesn’t pitch. When he does pitch the Red Sox are 4-3. That is a jaw-dropping stat for a guy that is supposed to be the ace on the team. Chris Sale needs the bats to perform when he pitches too, especially in October. Chris Sale and David Price need the run support if they really want to get past the first round in October. Last night the Red Sox made four errors when Chris Sale was pitching against the 8-22 Kansas City Royals.

What If the Red Sox Didn’t Trade for Chris Sale?

Leave a reply

NOTE: There is no way anyone can tell what would actually happen, so these educated guesses are based on rumors from MLBTradeRumors.com

On December 6, 2016, the Red Sox acquired starting pitcher Chris Sale for four prospects. These prospects were infielder Yoan Moncada, starting pitcher Michael Kopech, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, and relief pitcher Victor Diaz. In this alternate universe, this groundbreaking trade never happened.

Where Does Chris Sale Go?

It was inevitable that White Sox GM Rick Hahn was going to trade Chris Sale, but who would be Chicago’s trade partner? Well, according to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, the Nationals had the next highest bid, so Chris Sale would be a Washington National. The package going to Chicago would’ve consisted of outfielder prospect Victor Robles, as well as starting pitcher prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. This also means that the Nationals have to alter the package going to Chicago for outfielder Adam Eaton. So instead of Lucas Giolito, the Nats trade starting pitcher prospect Dylan Cease.

What Happens to the Red Sox’s 2017 Season?

The Red Sox no longer have Chris Sale, so in the offseason they do not trade starting pitcher Clay Buchholz to the Phillies. They need the pitching depth, and the Sox think they can get 2015 Clay Buchholz rather than the 2016 version. Also, since the Red Sox don’t completely trust the starting pitching depth they have, they sign Doug Fister in the offseason instead of in the middle of the season.

Clay Buchholz still tears a flexor tendon in his right arm in early April, so the Doug Fister signing makes even more sense. Also, David Price starts the season on the DL. So this means the Red Sox rotation after the Buchholz injury is Rick Porcello, Drew Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Doug Fister. Injuries also hinder Steven Wright in early April, so Brian Johnson and Hector Velazquez both get many spot starts to fill the voids.

Yoan Moncada starts the season as the everyday third baseman with Pablo Sandoval on the bench, occasionally DHing.

Trade Deadline

The Red Sox, headlined by an injury-prone starting rotation and a stagnant offense, still find themselves in the AL East race. They believe one trade can get them over the top. They decide to go after a starting pitcher, because there are a lot of quality starters on the trade market. Since the trade value is the lowest and they have the cap space, the Red Sox trade for starter Justin Verlander. The Tigers receive left-hander Jay Groome, outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe, and catcher Roldani Baldwin in the deal. The Red Sox agree to pay the rest of Verlander’s contract.

Since Justin Verlander is a Red Sock now, the Astros don’t pull off a trade. They were too late for the Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana deals, so they settle with what they have.

The Sox send down Yoan Moncada to AAA because of offensive struggles, so they still bring up Rafael Devers. Also, Boston still releases Pablo Sandoval.

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Playoffs

The Red Sox make the playoffs as the first wild card team instead of winning the division. They defeat the Twins in the Wild Card game with Justin Verlander on the mound in Fenway Park. The success stops there, though. The Red Sox lose to the Indians in four games in the ALDS.

The Indians lose to the Yankees in the ALCS, who beat the Verlander-less Astros in six games in the ALDS. The Yankees face the powerhouse Washington Nationals in the World Series. Led by a rotation of Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals sweep the Yankees in the World Series.

2017-2018 Offseason

The Red Sox feel that they need to do something to boost the offense, so they make a huge trade. The rumors say that the Red Sox had interest in trading for Manny Machado, so that’s just what they do. The Orioles receive shortstop Xander Bogaerts, prospect Yoan Moncada, and starting pitcher prospect Michael Kopech. Yes, the Orioles were hesitant towards trading Machado, but that is an offer that no one can refuse. Then, the Orioles probably trade Zach Britton. I will say he goes to the Astros,

The Red Sox have to pay the remainder of Justin Verlander’s deal. They also feel that they have to opportunity to extend Manny Machado’s expiring contract. Because of this, the Red Sox do not sign J.D. Martinez. Instead, Martinez signs a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Conclusion

There is no telling what happens afterwards. Even so, it is interesting to think of what could happen if the Red Sox didn’t trade for Chris Sale.

Sources:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/12/nationals-offered-victor-robles-lucas-giolito-reynaldo-lopez-in-chris-sale-bid.html

Red Sox Take Series Against Toronto

Leave a reply

Tuesday- Porcello vs. Happ

Porcello took the mound for his fifth start against Toronto’s J. A. Happ. Unfortunately, today’s game didn’t end in the Sox’ favor. Rick Porcello pitched another great game ending with a 1.93 ERA. Hanley Ramirez and Rafael Devers both hit singles to get on base. This allowed Eduardo Nuñez to hit and RBI single into left field. With bases loaded, Brock Holt hit to left field, which forced the game into extra innings. The Toronto Blue Jays eventually took the win as Craig Kimbrel let up his first run in the 2018 season.

Wednesday- Rodriguez vs. Sanchez

It was another night of the Mookie Show for the Sox. The Toronto Blue Jays lost 4-3 against the Red Sox Wednesday night. Hitting two homers, one in his first at bat of the game, Mookie smashed the losing streak. In an interview later that night, Alex Cora compared them to the likes of Altuve and Trout. Brock Holt had three hits, to raise his batting average to .327. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched nearly seven innings and only let up six hits. He extended the Red Sox lead to 18-5. It also happened that the Bruins were playing the same day, and there is a large support system coming from the Sox. Both teams are seen often cheering for the others. Tomorrow is Sale day and with the losing streak gone can he add a win under his belt.

“Two good swings. The one to the opposite side of the field, that was great.” – Alex Cora on Mookie Betts

“Good win for us. Good win for the Bruins. Everybody is pulling for them over here. Mookie did his thing… again” -Hanley Ramirez on the win

Thursday – Sale vs. Estrada

J.D. hit the ball to right center to allow three runs with only two outs in the fifth inning. Chris Sale let up a run in the first inning causing Toronto to give Sanchez the run support Sale wanted. With Joe Kelly serving his suspension, Matt Barnes was brought in. With the Sox only leading Toronto by one run in the seventh inning, Barnes struck out Maile, avoiding a run to tie the game. I’m the eighth inning, Toronto was ready to rally and the Sox had to make a great play. Brock Holt had to throw the ball to Moreland at first, to get Grichuk out. Toronto challenged the call, but luckily there was not enough evidence in their favor. Tomorrow Xander Bogaerts with return from the disabled list and Drew Pomeranz will pitch at Fenway for the first time this season.

You know, even when he’s struggling, you think he’s one adjustment away to do damage.” -Alex Cora on J. D. Martinez

“That’s the kind of guy he is. He does some pretty incredible things with that bat, and I’m appreciative of it tonight. ” – Chris Sale on J. D.

Sources

Red Sox Twitter

NESN

Red Sox Lose Their First Series

Leave a reply

Red Sox Couldn’t Hit Saturday and Sunday

Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts celebrates his home run with Andrew Benintendi, during the first inning of a baseball game against the Anaheim Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)The 17-4 Red Sox lost their first series of the season. The Red Sox went without a hit on Saturday for the first time since 1993. On Friday night, though, the Red Sox beat the Athletics 7-3. The Red Sox had 11 hits in the win and Oakland had ten. Drew Pomeranz took the mound and really didn’t pitch well Friday night, only pitching 3.2 innings. Pomeranz gave up three runs, walked two, and had seven strikeouts. Hector Velazquez pitched three innings, giving up just four hits and one strikeout.

No-Hit Red Sox

Via NBC Sports

On Saturday Chris Sale was pitching, so easy win right? Wrong. Sean Manaea pitched a no-hitter, striking out ten batters. Manaea said after the game that he didn’t realize he was pitching a no-hitter until the eighth inning. Manaea had been bad against Boston in his earlier three starts, going 1-2 with a 13.50 ERA. Hanley Ramirez Tweeted after the game saying “Congratulations Sean Manaea, you were really good tonight bro”. Chris Sale struck out ten batters, but gave up three runs on six hits and one walk in seven innings.

Sunday brought a question that maybe Alex Cora left David Price in too long in the eighth inning. Price had already thrown 90 pitches. The score was tied 1-1 and Price was facing Khris Davis. The first pitch Price threw to Davis crushed a three-run homer. Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez didn’t play on Sunday for rest, so the team had trouble with A’s pitcher Daniel Mengden. Red Sox didn’t really get the bats going until the seventh inning yesterday. Price stuck out six and threw 96 pitches.

The Toronto Blue Jays Are Next

Now the Red Sox had a day off and travel to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays. The Red Sox are 17-4 and are four games up on the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as 5.5 games up on the New York Yankees. There’s still a lot of baseball left it’s a long season, but so far this team has been great.

Red Sox Beat New York In Round One

Leave a reply

The battle of David vs. Goliath was more of a thrashing, as Mookie, and Chris Sale lead the charge and beat the Yankees 14-1 .

While both teams sent their aces out in the first match up of the year, Luis Severino didn’t have a shot. Chris sale mowed down 8 while lasting 6 innings in a monstrous 14-1 win. This brings their season record to 9-1 while New York is sitting at 5-6 ( 4.5 games back.)

Mookie Betts went 4-4 while hitting a grand slam and collecting 4 rbis and drawing a walk. Hanley extended his hit streak to 8 games with a pair of hits and grabbing 3 rbis. To round off the top three hitters Andrew Benintendi went 2-3 with a triple and 3 rbis.

Luis Severino (2-1) now posts a 3.50 era with 20 strikeouts on the season. He had a rough night from the jump, his command was never well placed, and he never had the Red Sox hitters second guessing. His opponent, Chris Sale (1-0) now sports a 1.06 era while tallying 23 strike outs on the season. Sale had a polar opposite night than Luis, with great command and sending multiple Yankee fans home depressed.

Aaron Judge hit the Yankees only run in a 444 foot home run over center field. Giancarlo Stanton went 2-4 while striking out twice and notching a double out by the Green Monster. With Xander Bogaerts slated for the 10 day dl, Brock Holt and Tsu-Wei-Lin stepped in for the shortstop. Both infielders providing great defense in tonight’s win.

Wednesday’s match-up is slated for 7:10 pm with the Sox sending David Price ( 1-0) 0.00 era, against New York’s Masahiro Tanaka (1-1) 2.92 era in what should be a good match up. With Alex Cora keeping his powerful lineup well rested, it’s only a matter of time until we see which line up is sent out to the field tomorrow night. It’s Boston vs. New York round 2, with only 18 more meetings on the season, every game counts towards first place.

Can We Get Chris Sale a Win?

Leave a reply

One of the most dominating pitcher in the American League has two no decisions. When will the cards fall for Chris Sale?

With his second start of the season on Tuesday against the Marlins, Chris Sale did Chris Sale things. He went five innings, allowing one run and five hits. He also struck out six. Just like last season, he had a no decision to start the season. But after this start can we please get him into the win column?

The dominant left hander made a huge run towards AL Cy Young Award last year, finishing second to Corey Kluber. While some consider that a questionable call one thing is for certain, he needs support. Against the Rays, he had the run support, yet the bullpen lacked the electricity it had last season. On Tuesday, it took 13 innings for someone to score more than one run. He needs stability in order to sign an extension.

A Chris Sale extension could very well look like a Clayton Kershaw type deal. While he might not get a seven year/ $215 million deal, he could easily command that or a deal in similar to teammate David Price. Price, who is 1-0 on the season, takes the mound on the home opener Thursday afternoon. While most signs point at an easy victory, the Rays will hope to have another Opening Day win versus the defending AL East champs.

While his next projected start might very well be against the New York Yankees, all sights are set to see two teams fight fire with fire. Electric power featuring Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge against the unhittable prowess of Chris Sale, David Price, and potentially Eduardo Rodriguez.

The David vs. Goliath match up is just around the corner, follow that series as well as the entire push for October glory at bostonsportsextra.com.