Sale of old re-emerges in his old home

CHICAGO -- You couldn’t have written the script any better for Chris Sale.

Sale came into Friday's start looking for not only his first victory of 2019 but a chance to put it all together against his former team.

And that’s exactly what he did in the Red Sox’s 6-1 victory over the White Sox on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“It’s never not going to be weird. It’s never not going to be something,” Sale said about pitching in Chicago. “Obviously, I pitched here like a million times, but I like this place. I’ve always liked pitching off this mound. It’s special to me.”

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Sale had made six starts this year prior to Friday, but each was missing something. Whether it was fastball command, fastball velocity, slider command or even all of the above, he had been unable to find an answer.

But for the first time in 2019, he put it all together, tossing six shutout innings while striking out a season-high-tying 10 batters and earning his first victory. He allowed just three hits and one walk.

The victory was Sale’s first since Game 1 of the 2018 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on Oct. 5.

“Just kind of got back to some old things I used to do. Talked to [manager Alex Cora] and [pitching coach] Dana [LeVangie] a lot over this past week, and getting back to things I used to do and things that made me successful,” Sale said. “Being in the zone. Quality pitches. Just kind of executing in certain counts and being where I needed to be.”

“Last year he took off May 6 in Texas. I was talking about that [Thursday]; the weather is a little bit different here, but he pitched well today,” Cora said. “Fastball was 94, 95, good slider, fastball inside.

"You got to stick with the process, and we’ve been very patient. Obviously, we wanted results before, but you stay with the process and good things are going to happen.”

Sale’s superb outing was not only a sign of a continuing upward trend but a great sign for the pitching staff as a whole. Boston pitchers have now allowed four or fewer earned runs in 20 of their past 21 games.

With David Price’s run of quality starts and Sale putting everything together, a Red Sox pitching staff that was seen as a big question mark the first few weeks of the season is now becoming a strength.

It's a strength that could help the team turn the tide and begin narrowing the gap with the Tampa Bay Rays, who have opened up a 6 1/2-game lead over the fourth-place Red Sox in the American League East.

Devers bounces back

Third baseman Rafael Devers said he wouldn’t let Thursday night’s 6-4 loss define him.

His costly error in the ninth inning helped propel the White Sox to their walk-off win, but he found a way to right the wrong.

Devers started Friday's game in a big way by crushing a three-run homer in his first at-bat following the error to give Sale an early 3-0 lead. The Statcast-projected 439-foot shot was not only his first homer of the season but a way to turn the page on what was an ugly finish in the series opener.

“I felt normal. It was satisfying,” Devers said. “I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, just trying to make solid contact. I just thank God that I was able to hit the ball out.”

“Good way to start today,” Cora said. “He’s been good offensively. The power numbers are not there, but he’s been controlling the strike zone.”