Sale (7 K's) grateful to be back: 'That feeling will never get old'

BOSTON -- Chris Sale’s latest restart on Friday night was perfect. Well, just about perfect.

Boston’s ace, making his return from a stress reaction in his left shoulder sustained on June 1, retired the first 14 Tigers he faced in an impressive display of dominance.

Kerry Carpenter, the 15th batter, broke up Sale’s perfect string with a solo homer. After the lefty’s 58th pitch hit Javy Baéz on the left foot, manager Alex Cora came out to get him.

As Sale walked off the mound with the Red Sox en route to a 5-2 victory, he got a loud ovation from the Fenway faithful.

Over 4 2/3 innings, Sale gave up just the one hit while walking none and striking out seven.

“The first start back always means a little something more, just because a lot of work goes into it,” said Sale. “You just kind of appreciate it a little bit more. You get something taken away that you really like, it’s never fun. You take a kid’s favorite toy away, he’s going to throw a fit for a little bit."

Sale’s power and precision were equally impressive in that this was his first Major League start in 10 weeks. The Tigers had 12 whiffs against Sale in 29 swings.

“It was like 70 percent strikes, [velocity] was up to 95 to 96 [mph] again. That was a little more vintage Sale, maybe even a little more aggressive than we expected,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch. “He threw a ton of strikes and really commanded the day.”

Using a fastball that maxed out at 96.5 mph and a slider that had its usual nasty dip, Sale hardly showed any rust considering he made just two Minor League rehab starts.

“He’s in a great place,” said Cora. “I think Chris -- over the years and with everything that has happened, whatever obstacles life presents -- he's going to be OK. I don't think he's going to fight [the ups and downs] anymore. He's just going to keep working. And you see him -- he looks stronger.”

With Friday’s win, the Red Sox (61-55) moved to three games behind the Blue Jays (65-53) for the third American League Wild Card spot.

Prior to injuring his shoulder, Sale had at last regained his form after suffering a barrage of ailments in recent years.

In his last six starts before going on the injured list, Sale was 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA, holding opponents to a .191 batting average.

If Friday is any indication, Sale looks ready to pick up where he left off.

One thing Sale made clear is that the fleeting nature of his stints on the active roster in recent years has done nothing to diminish his love for the competition.

“All the in-between stuff sucks,” Sale said. “I've said it. It is not fun rehabbing. I’m not the first to say it, I'm probably not going to be the last to say it. There are moments that you can enjoy during the process. But as a whole, it flat-out sucks.

“But on the flip side of that, any time I ever step on that mound and stare down that barrel and have competition, batter facing me, I don't care if I’m in the Complex League, I don't care if I’m [with Triple-A] Worcester. I said it to Trevor [Story] after my first Worcester start. I said, 'There's nothing like that feeling I get out there. That feeling will never get old. And if it does, it’s time to pack it up and take it to the house.'"

Don’t expect Sale to hold anything back down the stretch.

“The needles going in, the suction cups, the machines you put on, all the different things -- that’s the not-fun part," Sale said. "Going out there, that never gets old. Tomorrow’s not guaranteed. I’m not saving anything for tomorrow, because I don’t know if it’s coming.”

With Garrett Whitlock due back from the injured list on Sunday and Tanner Houck likely to be activated on Tuesday in Washington, the Red Sox are on the verge of finally having their pitching staff in full working order.

Story, one of the team’s best all-around players, also returned from the IL at the beginning of this week.

“It’s just going to bring a boost to the clubhouse, and hopefully, we can hold it down and make a push and start playing some games in October,” said Sale.