Thought this might be worthy of a new thread (also more threads are good, right?). There's been a lot of talk about keeping Sale well rested for both the stretch run and the playoffs given how the last couple years have gone in August-October. It seems the Sox are truly making an effort to do something about it this year.
Last year, Sale made his 21st start in the team's 103rd game. This year, he made his 21st start in the team's 101st game. To date, he has thrown 187 fewer pitches through 21 starts, and if you include the All Star Game (where he threw 28 pitches last year vs. 9 this year), the gap increases to 206 fewer pitches, which is essentially the equivalent of two full starts. Since we're about 2/3 of the way through the season, this would project to three fewer starts if it continues.
Remains to be seen whether this has an effect, but 2-3 fewer starts seems significant enough to make a difference.
Last year, Sale made his 21st start in the team's 103rd game. This year, he made his 21st start in the team's 101st game. To date, he has thrown 187 fewer pitches through 21 starts, and if you include the All Star Game (where he threw 28 pitches last year vs. 9 this year), the gap increases to 206 fewer pitches, which is essentially the equivalent of two full starts. Since we're about 2/3 of the way through the season, this would project to three fewer starts if it continues.
Remains to be seen whether this has an effect, but 2-3 fewer starts seems significant enough to make a difference.