Red Sox Notes: Chris Sale Still Shouldering Blame For Recent Struggles

Chris Sale just doesn’t have his best stuff this season, continuing his recent skid in the Boston Red Sox’s 11-2 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday.

Sale hasn’t been shy about acknowledging his shortcomings this season and has appeared all but pleased with his stuff in 2019. After Saturday’s loss, Sale continued to shoulder the blame for his lack of success.

“I’ve got no other excuses. I’m just not getting it done,” he said, per The Eagle-Tribune’s Chris Mason. “There’s no other way to paint it. No other way to put it. I’ve got nobody else to blame.”

But manager Alex Cora told reporters it’s not all Sale’s fault.

“We need to get this right. And that’s on us, the coaching staff,” he said, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith.

So what’s next?

“Whether it’s mechanics or usage, we’ve got to get him in the right place,” he said, per Smith. “We’re looking hard the next four days and he’ll be out there on Thursday and be ready to go.”

In fact, Sale is confident he can still turn things around.

“I really haven’t done a whole lot right this year. So like I said, it’s on me,” he said, per Mason. I’ve gotta find a way. And I’m confident I will.”

Here are some more notes from Saturday’s Dodgers-Red Sox game:

— Sale hasn’t had much (if any) success at Fenway Park this season whatsoever. Thanks to Saturday’s loss, the southpaw now holds the team record for the most consecutive winless starts at Fenway.

— Prior to suffering a second setback with his shoulder in 2018, Sale had himself a 2.52 ERA. Since then, he’s racked up a 4.21 ERA through 139 innings pitched, according to The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham.

— Sale has allowed five or more runs in his last three outings, the longest stretch of its kind in his career. The last time he did so in back-to-back games was in 2015.

— Steven Wright exited Saturday’s game after taking a comebacker to his right foot in the seventh inning. X-ray returned negative for the knuckleballer.