It certainly appears that the battle for the AL Central division title between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers is going to come down to the final few games—and possibly the final game of the season.
With under 10 games remaining the White Sox and Tigers are tied for the lead, each team knowing that they need to win every day in order to ensure that they remain in that position.
It’s definitely not what you would call comfortable living.
There’s no doubt that both teams will be doing whatever they can to win each and every game from here on out.
And part of that is deciding if certain guys should pitch on short rest.
For the White Sox, it means deciding if their ace Chris Sale should get two more starts this season, even if it’s currently set up otherwise.
As of now, Sale is scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, which would technically be his last start of the season.
Originally he was supposed to pitch on Saturday, but the White Sox staff decided to move his start back a day to get him the extra rest.
Manager Robin Ventura has already stated (via the Chicago Tribune) that Sale will not be brought back on short rest to pitch in the season finale next Wednesday in Cleveland.
With the current setup, Sale would also be unavailable to pitch in a one-game playoff next Thursday should it come to that.
Obviously, he can’t pitch both Wednesday and Thursday next week, but right now he is not available to pitch either.
So the question is, is this the right move?
Sale did throw a season-high 118 pitches in his no-decision against Cleveland on Monday night, but with the season on the line in the final week, is this really the time for extra rest?
The White Sox have done a good job of protecting Sale all season as he has been given extra rest before almost half of his starts.
However, if it’s necessary, now may be the time to let him pitch on short rest.
After all, he will have a lot of time to rest if the White Sox don’t make the postseason.
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