The Red Sox will have the same starting-pitching duo open the American League Championship Series against the Astros at Fenway Park -- Chris Sale will pitch Game 1, and David Price will pitch Game 2 -- that they used in the AL Division Series against the Yankees.
• ALCS presented by Google Assistant, Game 1: Saturday, 8:09 p.m. ET on TBS
Sale in Game 1 was expected. Price in Game 2 was much more of a question, given his shaky postseason history and struggles in his ALDS start. But manager Alex Cora said Wednesday on MLB Network that Price is in line to pitch Sunday's Game 2 against the defending World Series champions.
:: ALCS schedule and results ::
Price was knocked out by the Yankees after just 1 2/3 innings in Game 2 of the ALDS, allowing three runs and a pair of home runs in the only game New York won in the series. The left-hander is 0-9 with a 6.03 ERA in 10 career postseason starts.
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The Red Sox could have moved Nathan Eovaldi up in their playoff rotation after the flamethrowing right-hander shut down the Yankees in Boston's Game 3 win at Yankee Stadium. Eovaldi, making his postseason debut, went seven innings and allowed just one run. But Cora will stick with Price.
Sale in Game 1 sets up a rematch with Astros ace Justin Verlander -- the two also faced off in the opener of last year's ALDS between the two clubs, with Verlander getting the better of Sale. Verlander held the Red Sox to two runs in six innings in that game, while the Astros knocked around Sale for seven runs in five innings. Price will duel Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole in Game 2.
"I try to learn from every experience and learn from my mistakes," Sale said about his rough start against Houston in last year's ALDS. "My first go at it was godawful. It was as bad as it can possibly get. Going through that made me better for this situation here, and hopefully going forward.
"It's gonna be a little bit bigger stage, too. We're looking forward to it."