Chris Sale‘s latest turn through the Boston Red Sox rotation shows he’s getting back to looking like his old self.
That’s not to suggest that he was struggling through the first few weeks of the season. Sale’s numbers have been as spectacular as ever. He owns a 2.02 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through eight starts. Still, up until his latest outing against the Texas Rangers, something felt off. He wasn’t pitching poorly yet there was a concerning decline in his velocity.
It can take starting pitchers time to build up their velocity, so losing a tick on their fastball is not uncommon.