LOS ANGELES _ Living this month by their "all-in" philosophy of aggressive game management, Alex Cora and the Red Sox made a pitching swap late Saturday night that hedged their bets.
Instead of going with ace Chris Sale on normal rest Sunday in Game 5 _ the potential World Series clincher with the Red Sox leading the Dodgers three games to one _ Boston opted for David Price, also the Game 2 starter who pitched briefly in relief in Game 3, on short rest.
It was a decision that ultimately might not matter, especially with Sale available in relief in Game 5 in a "perfect" scenario where the Red Sox were finishing it off, Cora said. But here's the thinking behind it.
At first glance, the move looked like a vote of no confidence in Sale's health. The left-hander, who through two-thirds of the season was a leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, has battled shoulder issues for at least the past three months and hasn't been himself since returning from the disabled list in mid-September. That includes a stint in the hospital because of a stomach virus this month and a 4.40 ERA in four postseason games (three starts). Sale hasn't gone longer than 5 1/3 innings in any of those games and has faced diminished velocity.
To hear Cora tell it Sunday afternoon, the Sale-Price decision has to do both with Sale's physical state and the Red Sox's position of leverage as the series leader.
Cora said that with Price pitching Sunday, he would _ if the Red Sox lost _ be available out of the bullpen in Game 6 and/or Game 7. Sale, had he gone in Game 5, could not. Pushing Sale back to a possible Game 6 Tuesday provides the added benefit of extra rest.
"Obviously, it's not being negative. You have to prepare," Cora said. "[Price] can bounce back, if it doesn't happen today. And he'll be in the bullpen in Game 6 and in Game 7, if needed."
"You guys know about coming from injury and then his infection in the belly button," Cora said, referring to Sale's joking excuse for his hospitalization. "It was tough for his belly button to bounce back and go to the bullpen in Games 6 and 7. And that's the reason behind it. It's not that we're trying to reinvent this. We're just being prepared.
"If it was a tied series, we were going with our starters on full rest."
By being something less than all in Sunday _ by using Price on short rest _ the Red Sox can truly go all-in Tuesday and Wednesday.
"[The public doesn't] know the whole story, obviously, but the medical department, the pitching coach, the bullpen coach, [Red Sox pitching guru Brian Bannister], the coaching staff, we gathered everything, the information, and then we make decisions," Cora said. "And I feel that with the group we have, why not go all in, because we know we're going to be able to bounce back, we're going to be covered. A lot of people thought that we were short pitching-wise [Saturday], and we never felt that way."
