Dominant Sale moves to 9-0 as White Sox snap 4-game skid
Chris Sale on Thursday night looked a lot like Chris Sale from 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
In other words, Chris Sale looked like one of the premier starting pitchers in baseball.
But as he became the first pitcher since Arizona's Brandon Webb in 2008 to win his first 9 starts of the season in the Chicago White Sox's 2-1 decision over the Houston Astros at U.S. Cellular Field, Sale continued succeeding with a new style.
"I've talked about it before," Sale said after throwing his second straight complete game. "Just not throwing so many anger pitches and not maxing out on every single pitch I throw. You need quick innings. Sometimes when you pile up strikeouts, you get into 18-, 19-pitch innings, and if you are trying to get deep into games, it's not going to work out too well. I'm just trying to hit my spots, location, location, location."
Sale did have 9 strikeouts while helping the Sox end a four-game losing streak, but he got through the game throwing a very reasonable 107 pitches and continued his strategy of trying to pitch to contact to avoid unneeded wear and tear.
"He's not overthrowing, and he's not throwing every fastball at 96 to 99 (mph), or whatever he used to be," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "There's a definite consistent approach to the changeup, to a strike breaking ball, not just a back-foot slider. He's evolved as a pitcher, understanding that if he wants to pitch late into games like this, it's because of what he does early in the games and throwing first-pitch strikes and inducing contact with a changeup below the zone.
"He still has an easy way of dialing it up in a count or late in a game. He was throwing some of his hardest fastballs late, but you can tell he's making a conscious effort to be a pitcher more than just a dominant thrower."
Sale became the second White Sox pitcher to win his first 9-plus starts, joining Eddie Cicotte (12-0 in 1919).
"It's good, I guess," Sale said after holding Houston to 4 hits. "It helps the team win. I just try to go out and do my job every fifth day. That's all I'm trying to do. Going 9-0 is cool, it is. I enjoy it. I enjoyed snapping the skid we were in even more so than that."
Sale didn't get much run support from the White Sox's scuffling offense, but Jerry Sands' RBI single in the second inning and Alex Avila's sacrifice fly in the seventh were enough to counter Evan Gattis' home run off Sale leading off the eighth inning.
"I had Johnny Cueto one time, but this is just something special," said Todd Frazier, who was acquired by the White Sox in an off-season trade from the Reds. "He goes out there and he dominates. He nitpicks at every corner, he gets those calls. They're borderline ones that we need, and he just keeps dominating.
"When we had one run, I was like, 'Ah, that's basically enough.' That's the feeling you've got, and he got that kick-start going for us. Now it's time for the bats to come alive this weekend coming up with the Royals."