Offense could be sacrificed in favor of attempting to maximize Chris Sale’s effectiveness over the final 71 games of the regular season. Sandy Leon was behind the plate on Saturday, Christian Vazquez made his first career start at first base and Michael Chavis rested as Boston continued its three-game set with the Dodgers.
BOSTON -- Saturday’s lineup could be the beginning of a Red Sox compromise.
Offense could be sacrificed in favor of attempting to maximize Chris Sale’s effectiveness over the final 71 games of the regular season. Sandy Leon was behind the plate, Christian Vazquez made his first career start at first base and Michael Chavis rested as Boston continued its three-game set with the Dodgers.
The mythical protests of statistical gurus like Keith Woolner of Baseball Prospectus and pioneering sabermetrician Bill James could be heard in the Fenway Park press box. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has yielded to the notion that yes, in fact, it does matter who is behind the plate when certain pitchers take the mound. The contrast in numbers when Sale throws to Leon instead of Vazquez screamed loudest for action to be taken.
“I hate the whole personal catcher thing, but I felt like today we were going with Sandy and Chris and seeing where it takes us,” Cora said. “The way (Vazquez is) swinging the bat, we had to find a spot for him.”
Sale’s last start at Toronto prior to the All-Star break was another frustrating one. He was hit hard over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 loss, surrendering three home runs for the second time this season. The first time came on Opening Day at Seattle in a 12-4 defeat, and Vazquez was also behind the plate on that occasion.
Two outings is too small a sample, so widen the view a bit. Sale’s career earned-run average of 2.97 is accompanied by a .622 OPS and a 5.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His ERA this season of 4.04 would be a career worst, and opponents have cobbled together a .689 OPS against him.
Sale’s performance in 395 1/3 innings with Leon has been generally excellent. He’s posted a 2.53 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .564 OPS. Sale’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is an absurd 8.15, as he’s commanded the zone and rubbed out batters at an alarming rate.
Sale’s 84 innings with Vazquez as his receiver have been a different experience. His 4.61 ERA and .763 OPS against speak to frequent hard contact being made against him. Sale’s strikeout-to-walk ratio also dips to 3.28, suggesting a lack of comfort in and around the strike zone.
“I feel that he’s OK with both,” Cora said. “I just made the decision that it’s Sandy. I think they actually call the game differently, which is good for us. It’s not a script like other teams. We give them the tools and suggestions and they go from there.”
According to Woolner and James, Sale would eventually reach the same numbers with Vazquez and Leon over the long term. They would point to the fact Sale has thrown 79 percent fewer innings to Vazquez. The only reason this is a serious discussion now is the career-high 15 home runs and .870 OPS Vazquez carried into the second meeting with Los Angeles.
“He’s up to the challenge (of playing first base) and he’s ready to go,” Cora said. “What he’s doing the last 15 days and the consistency throughout the season, we need that bat in the lineup.”
Boston’s offense entered Saturday ranked inside the American League’s top three clubs in batting average, on-base percentage, walks, runs per game and OPS. The rest of the group will be counted on to compensate for Leon’s .200/.274/.284 slash line. His return to the club in April at the expense of Blake Swihart was specifically to work with Sale and Rick Porcello, and the Red Sox now appear committed to that idea after an uneven first half from their left-handed ace.