Red Sox manager
Alex Cora met with reporters this afternoon on a wide range of topics. Of course, chief among them was the status of ace pitcher
Chris Sale. Cora said that the lefty was
"on his way" to re-join the team—but also had a warning. Sale
might toss a bullpen session while the actual game is going on—but that
does not mean, said Cora, that he could actually enter the game. Warning taken. Cora also said that
Nathan Eovaldi is
"in a good place" and that not too many pitchers have as much left
"stuff-wise" in October as he does—throwing at 99 and 100 MPH. On the "pine tar" issue with
Matt Barnes, Cora simply said you should ask the hitters if they want pitchers to control their stuff at this time of the year. On the
Alex Bregman "trolling" issue, the manager said that the Astros third-baseman was
"one of the best players in the big leagues". Cora added:
"He was good last year, and now he's better. He has a willingness to keep working and he's fun to watch...not now, though." He also said that he challenged the Red Sox in Spring Training to have more fun and strut their stuff. Said Cora,
"I told them, 'you guys are good, you should play the part.'" The Red Sox manager also announced that
Rick Porcello will start Game Four of the ALCS on Wednesday.
