The Boston Red Sox Thursday, October 5, 2017

* The Boston Globe

Astros at leading edge of analytics and their success is proof positive

Alex Speier

HOUSTON — For years, the association of the Astros with rocket science was in name (and venue) only. Houston’s team gave a nod to the proximity of NASA by renaming the team formerly known as the Colt .45s at the time of its move to the Astrodome in 1965.

Now, more than half a century later, the Astros no longer play in their namesake stadium. Nonetheless, their decision-making — and now their success — places them at the forefront of baseball’s evolution to a world in which rocket scientists are very much at home.

At the start of 2012, newly installed Astros GM Jeff Luhnow hired former NASA engineer Sig Mejdal (who had worked with Luhnow for many years in St. Louis) as his director of decision sciences. Mejdal’s hire was one among many that came with unfamiliar titles and inspired distrust and skepticism in the baseball industry.

Six seasons later, baseball is nearly begging for people with backgrounds like Mejdal’s to join their ranks. At a time when traditional baseball notions and measurements — “spins a breaking ball,” “drives the ball in the air,” “barrels the ball” — have been refined and quantified by spin rates, launch angles, and exit velocity, traditional conversations about the game are occurring in a radically different way.

“There was always information about what pitches a hitter would hit. Obviously it’s grown with exit velocity and spin rate and launch angle,” said Houston manager A.J. Hinch. “It’s gotten fancier, but there’s been a small part of it that’s been around for a long time.”

Still, the way that Luhnow (a University of Pennsylvania grad with dual Bachelor of Science degrees in engineering and economics) and the Astros prioritized investment of organizational resources in their analytics department caught the attention of others in the industry.

“From what we can tell, they were one of a handful of teams that started aggressively, intentionally growing their analytics department. By hiring Jeff alone given his background and his success, it was obvious they were one of those teams,” said Red Sox VP of baseball research and development Zack Scott. “They were one of the teams that moved forward in full-time hires and resources dedicated to this.”

In some ways, Luhnow’s Astros have become trailblazers, with others — including the Red Sox — working to figure out and sometimes imitate the strategies of Houston. It may not be rocket science (“I’m sure actual rocket scientists do a lot more complex things,” chuckled Scott) . . . but the game is a lot closer to such a world than it’s ever been.

“I don’t think baseball is rocket science, but if something was wrong with you physically, I don’t think people would be opposed to getting an MRI or a CT Scan,” said Red Sox VP of pitching development and assistant pitching coach Brian Bannister. “It’s just part of what we do. It’s more accurate. And I think it helps us do what we’re trying to accomplish better. That’s the direction the game is heading because if you want an edge on somebody, it’s important to know more about the game rather than less about the game.

“I study other clubs all the time, and [the Astros are] one of the clubs I study very closely. They’re very talented. They’re very precise. They’re willing to try new things.”

That’s not always easy, and the Astros certainly had some struggles translating ideas from the front office to the field. But over time, they’ve earned a reputation as one of the more intellectually nimble organizations in the game, one that tends to be on the front end of trends (for instance, the use of four-seam fastballs up in the strike zone at a time when players were adjusting their swings to drive low pitches) rather than trailing behind them.

“You’ve always got to be questioning what you’re doing well and working on the things you do poorly,” said Hinch. “If you’re on the back end, following these massive trends, whether the use of technology or the use of analytics, imagine how far out in front the other teams are. I think that intellectual curiosity and fear is what drives you to get better faster.”

With the Astros now in the playoffs for the second time in two years, built around a core that looks like it should be good for quite some time, those same traits are driving teams to analyze the Astros. Houston has gone from something of an outcast organization to one that is a trendsetter.

“It’s a double-edged sword. If they’re following things we did first, it means, a) it works; and b) our advantage is gone, or dissipating,” said Luhnow. “That’s why we’re constantly trying to figure out how we can gain small advantages in multiple areas. We’re all observing each other. I copy what I see works with other teams and vice-versa. Keeping things a secret allows you to benefit longer but it’s hard to do.

“I think the game is evolving rapidly, more so than it was five years ago,” he added. “I’ve been in the industry now for 14 years. If you’re not able to adapt to the changing conditions around you, you’re probably not going to stick around too long.”

Eduardo Nunez appears ready to go for Red Sox

Peter Abraham

HOUSTON — Eduardo Nunez has had two plate appearances in the last 24 days because of a sprained right knee. But the Red Sox are set to keep him on the roster for the Division Series against Houston that starts Thursday.

Nunez worked out at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday and appeared ready to fill some role.

“Everything is good right now,” he said before taking the field.

One distinct possibility appears to be starting Nunez at third base on Saturday against lefthander Dallas Keuchel.

Rafael Devers is 20 of 50 against lefthanders with six extra-base hits. But lefthanded batters have hit only .145 against Keuchel this season.

“There’s some thought to how we get him at-bats, how we get him on the field,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said of Nunez. “There’s a couple of different ways we can go with this. But I think the most encouraging thing is the way he’s come through the workdays the last three days out.”

Nunez is 6 of 18 with a double and a home run against Justin Verlander, Houston’s Game 1 starter. Outside of Mitch Moreland (10 of 33), no other Red Sox player has more than four hits against Verlander

Decisions will wait The Red Sox have until 10 a.m. local time Thursday to submit their roster to Major League Baseball, and Farrell was not in a revelatory mood.

“We’re still working through a number of individual conversations so we won’t have anything further to announce until [Thursday],” he said.

The Red Sox did send lefthander Roenis Elias, first baseman Sam Travis, and righthander Hector Velazquez home. But the Sox did travel with 33 players to Houston.

Lefthander Robby Scott, who held lefthanded hitters to a .527 OPS during the regular season, will be left off the roster, according to a team source. That is a bit of a surprise.

Farrell indicated he plans to leave Xander Bogaerts hitting leadoff. The shortstop has hit .294 with a .415 on-base percentage in 17 games since he moved into the leadoff spot on Sept. 13.

“That would be the intent at this point,” Farrell said. “He’s responded well. The on-base [percentage] has spiked. We’re seeing much more consistent hard contact, so right now that’s the thought.”

The Sox also plan to stick with Sandy Leon catching Chris Sale, which will put Christian Vazquez on the bench for Game 1.

Leon caught all but 5⅓ innings from Sale this season. In the 5⅓ innings Vazquez handled, Sale allowed 10 hits and eight earned runs.

Captain hook? When the Red Sox were swept by the Indians in the Division Series last season, none of their starters got through five innings. For Farrell, that sense of urgency will remain this season.

“I think when you think about October you’re taking an all-hands-on-deck mentality,” he said. “Whether it’s a three-game series, five-game series, or seven-game series. Game 1 is important. But I think our guys are primed and ready with that urgency and know that decisions can happen quick, and we’re prepared for that.”

High on Cora Alex Cora, who was with the Red Sox from 2005-08, is a candidate to manage the Mets and could be sought for other openings.

The 41-year-old is in his first season as Houston’s bench coach after spending four seasons with ESPN.

“He’s very sharp, sees the game in an extraordinarily deep way, has really connected well with players in our clubhouse and spent a lot of time developing relationships,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.

“Those are characteristics as to why he is a hot name in every opening that’s coming up so far this offseason or this postseason and why one day he’s going to manage, whether it’s now or later.”

Day game on Sunday The teams play at 2:05 p.m. (Eastern) on Friday. Game 3 in Boston will be at 2:38 p.m. on Sunday. Games 2 and 3 will be on Fox Sports 1 . . . The Astros plan to use Lance McCullers out of the bullpen. He was 7-4 with a 4.25 ERA in 22 starts during the regular season. “Lance is a very talented pitcher and he has weapons. And the league knows it, our team knows it, and Lance knows it. So I think he could very much pitch in a variety of roles,” Hinch said . . . Astros second baseman Jose Altuve on Red Sox counterpart Dustin Pedroia: “He goes out there and plays at 100 percent every single game. He never takes it for granted. He dives, he slides, he does everything the right way. He’s been in the league longer than me and when I was in the minor leagues he was one of my favorite players.” . . . Verlander donated $100,000 to start a grant program designed to help veterans and their families who were affected by Hurricane Harvey. Verlander also plans to donate his playoff share . . . The Cubs claimed Luke Farrell off waivers from the Reds. The Red Sox manager’s son started the season with the Royals and has since been with the Dodgers, Reds, and now the Cubs.

In Houston, the games go on but the healing remains

Julian Benbow

HOUSTON — The last time I was in Houston, downtown felt like its own universe. A brand new Marriott Marquis had grown out of the ground to temporarily house the tourists in town for Super Bowl Whatever It Was. Discovery Green was a weeklong festival where you could stumble in and see Solange, Bun B, The Suffers, Gary Clark Jr., and ZZ Top. The George R. Brown Convention Center felt like an NFL theme park for a week. Helmets from all 32 teams lined Avenidas De Las Americas, bodies shuffled in and out, from fans to Hall of Famers.

Eight months seems like forever ago.

Take away all the decorations for the NFL’s biggest week, and downtown Houston feels surreally serene. The professional-types still power walk down Main Street during business hours. The red line still splits the street in half like a moving median. the BCycle hub is still right across from the Marquis.

If you weren’t looking for signs, it would be hard to tell Hurricane Harvey hit just a month ago.

Minute Maid Park is primed for the opening of the American League Division Series between the Astros and the Red Sox.

The team asked fans to join in an Orange Out. Midday Wednesday, there was a pep rally in front of city hall.

But from afar, the world watched Houston sit at that strange intersection where sports and society have to stare each other in the face and see who they really are.

Harvey dumped 40 inches of rain on the city, killed more than 60 people, and displaced thousands from their homes.

When out-of-towners from Boston get to Houston, they might not be able to immediately see signs that the city’s still healing, but it is.

For weeks after Harvey, the same George R. Brown Convention Center that served as a Super Bowl hub housed more than 10,000 flood victims. The NRG Center, where the Patriots staged the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, housed many more.

Many of those victims were recently relocated up the I-10 to Greenspoint Mall, a 1-million-square-foot shopping center that was probably past its heyday with anchor stores such as Macy’s and Dillard’s shuttering in recent years, but served as a temporary refuge.

For nearly 800 people, that closed-down Macy’s was home until victims could find the resources to recover their own home or start anew.

But outside was perhaps more striking.

A line of bodies, thousands of people, completely wrapped around the mall.

Many covered themselves with umbrellas to shield the heat of an 88-degree Houston day.

There were parents pushing strollers one slow step at a time. Friends making small talk to pass the time. By and large, the line was mostly black and Hispanic people. Some families, about 10 people deep, took cover in the shade of the few trees scattered in the parking lot islands.

They were all lined up looking to receive food relief through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The wait would be a long one, and they all knew it.

People had waited hours — overnight even — the days before. The process of getting relief tested people’s patience as much as the crisis itself.

The people I talked to were friendly. They also, understandably, did not want to participate in a story.

They had a long step to take in a long road to recovery.

One line snaked past FEMA signs, bent the corner, then eventually led to the Greenspoint District Public Safety Center.

They weren’t even halfway.

Once they wrapped around the back of the mall, they had the long walk to the front of the movie theater, where volunteers were stationed with coolers full of bottled water.

Then they were led to a second line, which trickled to another nook of the shopping center, where from a distance they could see people getting the assistance they were seeking.

It was a different world at a different intersection, where reality and recovery meet.

A game like this is why the Red Sox traded for Chris Sale

Nick Cafardo

HOUSTON — This is your moment, Chris Sale.

Red Sox Nation is looking to you for hope, for a reason to believe the Sox can knock off the mighty Astros. This is the reason the Sox obtained you. Anything you’ve done to this point doesn’t matter. It’s what you do from here on out. We thought that about David Price last season, and he laid an egg against the Indians in the playoffs. Ditto for American League Cy Young winner Rick Porcello.

So, this needs to be an egg-free zone. Sale has something to prove. For one, he needs to shed the up-and- down pattern he’s had since Aug. 1. Thursday’s Game 1 will also be his first postseason game, so he needs to curtail the jitters and possibly the adrenaline, which could work in his favor or against him.

He’ll be pitching on eight days of rest, which he said was welcome, but he’ll also be available to pitch in Game 3 on three days of rest if needed.

“I did have extended rest this time, which I think is good obviously this time of year,” Sale said. “Catch your breath, get your feet underneath you. I threw a little bit more intensified bullpen this past week than I usually do to kind of get prepared, sharpen up a little bit. “Three days rest? I’m in. This is what I live for. I’m throwing until my arm falls off.”

It’s a tough Astros team Sale is facing, but he has to dominate against the best lineup in baseball. Again, this is what the Red Sox traded for.

“They’re real good,” Sale said. “We got to look at them just last week. So we know what we’re getting ourselves into and we know what we need to do. So it’s just about going out there and getting it done.”

To be able to come into a hostile environment and win a game, and thus take away Houston’s home-field advantage, is paramount. Though according to an extensive study done by MLB Network researcher Nate Purinton, it’s far more important to score the first run or runs of a postseason game than to have home-field advantage. Purinton indicated that over the last five postseason, teams with home field have won only 53 percent of the time, but teams that score first have won 71 percent of the time.

If the Red Sox can accomplish both they’ll have hit a very lucrative jackpot. It is expected Sale will be slightly under the weather when he throws his first pitch on Thursday afternoon, suffering from a head cold, but that shouldn’t prevent anything he’s looking to do. Sale will oppose old nemesis Justin Verlander. In their six career matchups dating to Sept. 2, 2012, Sale is 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA, while Verlander is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

The Tigers had won all five of the matchups, four of which took place when Sale was a member of the White Sox, until Sale beat Verlander and the Tigers, 11-3, on June 10 at Fenway Park.

“We know what type of matchup it’s going to be,” said Verlander. “It’s going to be a grind. It’s kind of like the first person to blink, you know? As a starting pitcher you love those battles, but in the regular season you kind of see who you’re going up against. It’s kind of like let’s strap it on and go because you know it’s going to be that type of battle. He’s a fierce competitor. I always enjoyed watching him pitch. This is what you dream of as a kid. You want to face the best, and he’s one of the best in the game right now.”

Sale certainly knows what he’s up against.

“[Verlander is] tough,” Sale said. “As a whole we know what we’re getting ourselves into. We know the work that we need to get done, and I think we’re up to the task. We fought hard all year. We have faced a lot of challenges, we have been backed in the corner, and we have dealt with those situations pretty well. So hopefully continue that going forward.”

The big thing Sale has to guard against, he said, is not making this game bigger than any other game he’s pitched.

“I don’t want to put any more emphasis on this than there already is,” Sale said. “This is obviously playoff baseball, so it comes with a lot more attention. But for me, I’m going to pitch the same game, I’m going to go out there and do the same things I’ve always done. I’m not going to reach for another avenue that I haven’t reached for in my entire career. So I don’t think now would be the time to start doing that.”

And that means he’s not going to do a lot of video work or pour over scouting reports. He just doesn’t do it, and he’s not going to start just because he’s in the playoffs.

Sale has always been that way. His former White Sox batterymate, A.J. Pierzynski, who is now a Fox analyst, said that in the years the two played together Sale rarely shook Pierzynski off.

“He learned that from [Mark] Buehrle,” Pierzynski said. “It was all about executing the pitch and don’t overthink. Throw it where the catcher wants it and keep it simple. Chris learned that from Day 1 and he always stuck to that philosophy. He didn’t want things clouding his thinking or his mind. He just wanted to get the ball and throw it and get the hitter out.”

Pierzynski is happy to see Sale finally reach the playoffs.

“I was with him 10 days out of his college career,” Pierzynski said. “I remember [manager] Ozzie Guillen saying, ‘We’ve got to get the kid into a game.’ I said, he just got out of college. But they recognized that he was going to be special. He was used out of the bullpen at first and he did a great job. I think Chris loved being a closer as much as he loved being a starter. He’s evolved into one of the best starters in the game”

And that’s the billing Sale must live up to.

Best chance for Red Sox to win may come from their bullpen

Alex Speier

When Luis Severino walked off the mound with his team trailing, 3-0, with just one out in the first inning of Tuesday night’s AL wild-card game, the task he entrusted to the Yankees seemed somewhere between Herculean and impossible. Instead, it proved almost formulaic.

The Yankees built a bullpen Death Star at the trade deadline, a singular force capable of obliterating opponents right out of the postseason. In their 8-4 victory over the Alderaan Twins, they deployed it, with Chad Green, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, and Aroldis Chapman dominating for 26 outs to help New York advance to the Division Series against Cleveland.

Welcome to postseason baseball, 2017 style. As Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports writes, New York’s victory was the ultimate sign of our times.

Last year, there were 12 games won in the postseason by teams whose starters failed to pitch five That number not only set a record but matched the total from the previous three postseasons combined.

Some of those victories represented a response to the unexpected, as when Trevor Bauer’s drone- demolished finger wouldn’t permit the Indians righty to get out of the first inning of an ALCS game against Toronto. Others, however, were entirely by design, as when the Dodgers pivoted from starter Rich Hill to setup man Joe Blanton in the third inning of their winner-take-all NLDS Game 5 against the Nationals.

While 26 outs might be an unlikely request of their bullpen against the Astros, it would come as little surprise to see the Red Sox deploy their relievers early and often. Given the explosiveness of the Houston offense, the Sox can’t afford to let starters work through jams if they’re showing less-than-overpowering stuff.

The Sox’ ability to advance may depend on a combination of dominance from Chris Sale in his outings in conjunction with some instances where the Red Sox break the bullpen glass before the completion of five innings.

In many ways, a Sept. 22 contest in which John Farrell pulled Rick Porcello after four innings and two times through the order served as something of a harbinger.

“I think the way we went about some in-game decisions was more representative of what would take place in the postseason,” said Farrell. “There were shorter starts, quicker moves to the bullpen. Obviously the addition of David Price to the bullpen lends to some of that.

“I think we went through a little bit of a mind-set with our starters in particular. When decisions were made earlier, it was like, OK, this is different right now. That same urgency, that same hands-on approach, will apply every day starting Thursday.”

The Red Sox know that Sale will start Game 1 and Drew Pomeranz Game 2. While Pomeranz carried a shutout through six innings against the Astros in Saturday’s division-clinching victory, it’s worth noting that the lefthander elicited just one swing-and-miss and his fastball rarely cracked 90 miles per hour. The Sox likely won’t risk overexposure of Pomeranz, and Farrell could have a quick hook entering the off day between Games 2 and 3.

Meanwhile, the rotation plans beyond Game 2 remain undefined. Regardless of whether the Red Sox turn to Doug Fister, Rick Porcello, or Eduardo Rodriguez, the inconsistencies of all three (all of whom are fastball-heavy pitchers against an Astros lineup that is among the best in recent decades against heaters) suggest that the Sox may pivot quickly.

Teams have to pick their spots for early turns to the bullpen.

“You can’t do that every game,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters Tuesday. “You just can’t, because physically they can’t bounce back.

“If you’re playing four games in five nights, it’s really difficult to do. You can do it probably two of the games of the four, but you can’t do it back to back.”

That said, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Red Sox seek at least four innings and quite possibly more from their primary late-innings options in any game (a) not started by Sale or (b) in which they have a chance to win. The Sox appear to have the personnel capable of shortening games.

After joining the bullpen, Price made four appearances of more than three outs. In those, he threw 7⅔ shutout innings, striking out 11 and walking one.

Righthander Addison Reed made nine appearances this year of more than three outs, including three of two innings. He allowed one run in 14⅓ innings in those games, punching out 12 and walking two.

While closer Craig Kimbrel was used solely in the ninth over the season’s final six weeks, he made seven appearances of at least four outs (topped by a two-inning appearance), allowing three earned runs in 10⅓ innings while striking out 25 and walking three.

Put simply, the Sox’ best chance to beat the Astros is with dominant pitching, and their best chance at dominant pitching — beyond Sale — comes from their bullpen. They may not seek out 26 outs in a single game, but they will seek something that goes beyond the simple notion of “relief” when they shift away from their starters.

Despite the bumps and bruises, Dustin Pedroia is still the Red Sox’ leader

Peter Abraham

HOUSTON — Dustin Pedroia moved to a different locker in the Red Sox clubhouse in July, taking over a corner spot near the trainer’s room and the coffee maker. There was even a high-definition television on the wall a few feet away.

His stay in the lap of baseball luxury lasted only a few weeks. Pedroia soon moved back to his old locker between Mookie Betts and Chris Young.

“Mookie wanted me to come back,” Pedroia said. “I didn’t care.”

Betts laughed when he heard that explanation.

“Is that what he said? Whatever,” the right fielder said. “He was lonely over there by himself. He needs to be in the middle of everything.”

At 34, Pedroia is not the oldest player on the roster. But no Red Sox player has been with the team longer. Even as players like Betts, Chris Sale, and Andrew Benintendi assume larger roles, the Sox revolve around their second baseman.

When Pedroia takes the field for Game 1 of the American League Division Series against Houston Thursday, it will be his 48th playoff game. Only former teammates David Ortiz (76) and Jason Varitek (63) have played more with the Sox.

“Dustin is our backbone,” manager John Farrell said. “It’s different when he’s not out there.”

That was an all-too-frequent occurrence this season as Pedroia missed 57 games because of injuries that required three stints on the disabled list.

Pedroia was first injured April 21 when Baltimore’s Manny Machado slid past second base and crashed into him. He initially missed only three games but the damage to his left knee worsened over time.

Pedroia went on the DL because of his knee on July 29. He came back to play on Aug. 8 but lasted only one game because of swelling. He returned to the disabled list and this time did not come back until Sept. 1.

There were other injuries, too. Pedroia collided with White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu on May 29 and was out 10 days with a sprained left wrist. On June 18, Houston’s James Hoyt drilled Pedroia in the back with a fastball. He had trouble breathing for several days because of a huge bruise and missed three games.

He even got hit on the nose by a foul ball that bounced off the plate and had to come out of a game on Sept. 18.

“When you go into a season, you can’t plan for certain things,” Pedroia said. “You have to deal with them as they come. I dealt with some things this season I couldn’t have prepared for training-wise. You do the best you can.

“I’m out there as much as I can be. I do the best I can. The days I don’t play, I don’t usually have a choice.”

The injuries had some unexpected consequences off the field, too.

When teammate Matt Barnes threw a fastball near Machado’s head in apparent retribution, Pedroia publicly voiced his disagreement.

“It’s definitely a mishandled situation,” he said at the time. “There was zero intention of him trying to hurt me.”

Barnes was ejected and then suspended by Major League Baseball. But some Red Sox fans, mostly those emboldened by the anonymity of social media, criticized Pedroia for his reaction. Some hot-take specialists in the media followed.

It was one of the few times in his career such flak was directed his way. But Pedroia dismissed it.

“It was people making noise,” he said. “Good for them. If people knew the real story, they’d feel differently.”

Internally, the support was there.

“We have his back,” Betts said. “For a lot of us, we follow his lead. How he plays, his attitude, that all rubs off on us.

“He’s our leader. It’s a vocal role at times but more how he sets an example. Guys rely on him. I know I do.”

On the field, Pedroia remained productive when he was able to play.

His .369 on-base percentage was second among American League second basemen with at least 450 plate appearances. Fangraphs.com ranked Pedroia second in the league in defensive runs above average.

In 105 games, usually hitting first or second, Pedroia drove in 62 runs. A late-season slump dropped his batting average from .314 to .293.

“It’s been the same,” Pedroia said. “I’m feeling pretty good considering everything.”

There was a time when Pedroia’s only rival at second base in the American League was Seattle’s Robinson Cano. Now the position has MVP candidate Jose Altuve of the Astros, rising Orioles star Jonathan Schoop, and power-hitting Brian Dozier of the Twins, along with Ian Kinsler of the Tigers.

“There’s a ton of good second basemen,” Pedroia said. “A lot of good athletes, a lot of guys who can drive the ball or run. It’s a position of depth in the league. Teams realize it’s an important position.”

Red Sox bench coach Gary DiSarcina played shortstop for parts of 12 seasons in the majors. He retired at 32, largely because of injuries. He admires Pedroia’s perseverance.

“Middle infield will beat you up,” said DiSarcina, rolling up his uniform pants to show old gouges and pockmarks in his shins. “But Pedey hangs in there. His defense was as good as we expected.”

Pedroia was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the Most Valuable Player in 2008. He has won four Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and made the All-Star team four times.

By the time his contract runs out following the 2021 season, he’ll also have made $140 million.

In what can be the most selfish of team sports, Pedroia is in the unusual position of caring more about his team than himself. His legacy and financial future are secure. He has really only one goal remaining.

“Just play to win, that’s it,” Pedroia said. “I’ve won every award you can win individually. I just want to win another World Series.

“I don’t care about the other stuff or who is the best at my position. All that matters is who wins the World Series. The rest of the stuff is for somebody else.”

Pedroia has two World Series rings. Only eight players who were active this season have three, most of them members of the San Francisco Giants from 2010-14.

To get a third ring would be meaningful. It’s something his close friend Jon Lester did last season with the Chicago Cubs. It also would match Ortiz, making them the only Sox players in modern history with three.

Pedroia was 24 when he earned his first World Series ring. Now he has three young sons and he hopes to share this playoff experience with them.

“It’s fun, they understand it. But they don’t care if we win or lose, I’m still their dad,” he said.

When the Red Sox clinched the AL East last week, Pedroia left much of the celebration to others. He has bigger goals in mind.

“It’s been a different year for him, but he’s the same guy,” third base coach Brian Butterfield said. “If we win 11 more games, he’ll be happy. Whatever else happened this season won’t matter.”

* The Boston Herald

Chris Sale new to playoffs, but has same old confidence

Michael Silverman

HOUSTON — Same old, same old with Chris Sale.

This bodes well for the Red Sox.

On the eve of throwing the first playoff pitch of his pro career, Sale could not have looked and sounded more, well, normal yesterday. True, he was a bit sniffly with a froggy voice because of a cold he and some teammates are battling, but other than that, you’d recognize him.

He was the same no-nonsense, true-grit, do-what-it-takes Chris Sale that we’ve become accustomed to since the first day he arrived in Boston from the White Sox last December.

Sure, said Sale, he’d pitch on short rest in these playoffs. After all, “This is what I live for. I’m throwing until my arm falls off.”

Yeah, Chris Sale is here in Houston.

He’s the same guy who showed up in Fort Myers without the Twitter account and he’s the same guy who under the supposed white-hot spotlight of media that shines 24/7 on the Red Sox and thrived to put together a Cy Young-caliber season.

This makes a ton of sense and is completely reassuring.

Had he shown up with stars in his eyes and a catch in his throat, it would be time to sound the alarm bells.

“I think this somewhat compares to the way he came into Boston following the trade. He has handled it without distraction, he’s handled it with, I think, a consistency to his routine and being true to himself, who he is as a performer, as a pitcher,” said manager John Farrell. “I would venture to say, knowing Chris the person, that the same approach will be applied (today). And I think the beauty inside of Chris Sale is that he focuses solely on the things that he can control, something as simple as command in the count, strike one. Keeping it pretty much to the basics. He’s done such an excellent job of that coming in with all the expectations and the highlight from the trade. He’s handled it beautifully and I would suspect at this stage, this next set of games in which he’s going to experience for the first time will be handled the same way.”

Sale said that as far as he can tell, his current surroundings are identical to where he’s been all along.

Which is in the zone.

“I don’t want to put any more emphasis on this than there already is,” Sale said. “This is obviously playoff baseball, so it comes with a lot more attention. But for me, I’m going to pitch the same game, I’m going to go out there and do the same things I’ve always done. I’m not going to reach for another avenue that I haven’t reached for in my entire career. So I don’t think now would be the time to start doing that.”

If the Indians were the first-round foe for the Red Sox, the sameness in Sale’s approach might be tested. He gave up 13 earned runs over only eight combined innings in his two regular-season starts against them. The Astros are different. He did not face them here in June or the final week at Fenway. The only thing familiar will be a pitching duel with Astros’ Game 1 starter Justin Verlander, a frequent opponent from their AL Central White Sox-Tigers days.

Verlander knows who he’ll see.

“You know what type of matchup it’s going to be,” he said. “It’s going to be a grind. It’s kind of like the first person to blink, you know. As a starting pitcher, you love those battles, but in the regular season kind of see who you’re going up against, it’s kind of like, all right, let’s strap it on and go, because you know it’s going to be that type of battle. He’s a fierce competitor, I always enjoyed watching him pitch.”

Another constant working in favor of Sale showing up is that his presence comes as no surprise to him.

“There was never a doubt that I thought we would not get here,” Sale said about how he viewed his chances when he joined the team. “Obviously from the outside looking in before I was with this team I always thought that they were a powerhouse. Going into spring training, seeing the guys in the clubhouse, seeing the culture, seeing the drive, that kind of just amplified it.

Astros’ A.J. Hinch confident in victory despite Red Sox’ ‘high-end pitching’

“I don’t want to say it was a matter of time, but we are a playoff team, obviously, and I think we all knew that from Day 1.”

From Day 1, everybody could see what kind of pitcher Chris Sale was.

Why would today be any different?

Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox ignore the underdog talk

Chad Jennings

HOUSTON — There is nothing on paper to suggest the Red Sox should win this Division Series. Not a single thing. The Astros have a better offense, two elite starting pitchers, a strikeout-heavy bullpen and home-field advantage.

Even with Chris Sale, even with Craig Kimbrel, even with Mookie Betts heating up and Eduardo Nunez getting healthy, the Red Sox cannot be considered the favorites in this best-of-five set.

So they must embrace the persona of the bearded second baseman who’s never had time for expectations or cared what’s written down on paper.

“I don’t think any of us think it matters,” Dustin Pedroia said. “It doesn’t matter where we play, you’re just going and competing. So I don’t think anybody picks up a newspaper and says, ‘Oh, we’re the underdogs,’ or, ‘We’re the favorites.’ We’re just trying to do the best we can to win games and continue playing.”

There’s so much to be said for missing David Ortiz this time of year — the Sox could use his bat — but it’s not Big Papi’s personality they need in this series.

They don’t need the bravado to suggest the numbers are wrong. They need the confidence to say the numbers don’t matter.

That attitude will define this group of Red Sox if they make a real run toward the World Series. They’re not Idiots, with a capital I. They’re not in Texas to Cowboy Up. I’m honestly not sure Rafael Devers can grow a beard.

The most notorious personality quirk in this clubhouse might be David Price’s battle with the media.

It’s a team of defiance.

The Sox have a skinny kid from Tennessee playing right field. Their Game 1 starter is a gangly guy who’s never been to the playoffs. Their second baseman is 5-foot-9, and his 34-year-old knees have seen better days.

So what?

“The playoffs, it’s about anything you can do to help the team win,” Pedroia said. “It doesn’t matter what it is. If you . . . have a 15-pitch at-bat and you strike out, you’re 0-for-1 in the box score, but that at-bat is crucial to helping your team win. And that’s what it’s about.”

This October could be Pedroia at his defiant best. He had offseason knee surgery, came out of the gate hitting .303 with a .382 on-base percentage by the All-Star break, and he’s spent much of the second half just trying to get healthy.

All the while, he’s downplayed the severity of his injury at every opportunity. He even shrugged it off yesterday, making it clear he’s ready to play and make a difference, with no excuses.

You think his teammates haven’t noticed?

“You think about the Boston Red Sox, he’s probably the first name you think of,” Sale said. “He’s, by definition, a grinder. We all know this year and how it’s played out and the things he’s had to go through, and it’s admirable. He’s as tough as they get, and to be able to have him in my corner is huge.”

You think Pedroia’s opponents haven’t noticed?

“He never takes it for granted,” Astros second baseman Jose Altuve said. “He dives, he slides, he does everything the right way. . . . When I was in the minor leagues, he was one of my favorite players. To play the same position (as) Dustin Pedroia — former MVP, World Series, everything he has accomplished — I feel really proud to . . . play in the game with him.”

The Astros are not going to make this easy. In fact, they’re going to make it incredibly difficult. All signs point to Astros vs. Indians in the ALCS.

But who’s reading signs this time of year? The Red Sox don’t have to embrace the underdog role. They can ignore it altogether.

“There’s a voice in our clubhouse that speaks from experience,” manager John Farrell said. “And I think a number of guys will look to (Pedroia) for that as well. So we come off a year last year where some of our young guys have experienced it just for the three games, and yet Pedey, who is back in the middle of the diamond, gives us some stability.”

And what does stability look like in the postseason?

“You just have to find a way to be one run better than the other team,” Pedroia said.

It’s not flashy. It doesn’t come with a slick catchphrase. It doesn’t make for a particularly good t-shirt.

But it’s the one way this Red Sox team can beat the odds and beat the Astros.

Red Sox can start winning over fans with playoff wins

Steve Buckley

HOUSTON — “It’s exciting,” Chris Sale replied, when asked yesterday how he feels to be one day away from making his first postseason start.

Of course. Any pitcher would be excited to be making his first postseason start. But for a pitcher of Sale’s renown — two-time American League strikeout king, six-time All-Star, perennial Cy Young Award candidate — it must have been agonizing to play seven stellar seasons in the bigs without getting so much as a sniff of October.

But it’s what Sale said after the obligatory nod to being excited that was interesting.

“A lot of hard work goes into this, ups and downs of the season, battling the travel and all this other stuff,” he said. “So to be sitting here right now is pretty fulfilling.”

All this other stuff. It’s a mortal lock that Sale was referring to the usual things that wear out ballplayers — night games, the ceaseless media mob in the clubhouse, off-day throwing programs, trips to the trainer’s table, etc. — and not, you know, the other stuff that brought so much needless turmoil to this Red Sox team.

Such as the fallout over how the Red Sox handled Orioles third baseman Manny Machado’s takeout of Dustin Pedroia at second base.

Such as the David Price verbal beatdown of NESN analyst Dennis Eckersley on a team charter to Toronto.

Such as how not a single uniformed member of the Red Sox, including manager John Farrell, ever offered Eck anything close to an apology.

Such as getting caught using Apple watches to steal signs.

Chris Sale was never connected to any of that . . . stuff. He simply kept his head down and pitched, and on most days his pitching was off the charts. That he’s Farrell’s Game 1 Division Series starter against the Houston Astros today at Minute Maid Park is no surprise.

But while Sale didn’t have Machado, Eckersley and places to shop for Apple watches on his mind when he referenced “all this other stuff,” the reality is that it’s a part of this 2017 season that will only go away if the Red Sox make it as far as the World Series. If the Sox go belly up in the Division Series, as they did last year against the Cleveland Indians, “all this other stuff” will bubble back to the surface for renewed offseason analysis and discussion.

Is that fair? Unfair? History isn’t supposed to be fair or unfair. But there are many reasons these postseason Red Sox haven’t knocked New England on its arse as in years past, and “all this other stuff” is on the list. Admittedly, it’s not the only reason. Surely the retirement of David Ortiz has been a factor, not just in the lineup, but in the clubhouse.

And the Patriots are part of this as well. With each new season their regional muscle-flexing is ever the more pronounced, especially this season, since the Pats are coming off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

Thanks to their bottom-of-the-NFL defense, however, the Pats might be taking a step back this season and giving back a piece of the stage to the Red Sox. But you know the old line: Real power cannot be given, it must be taken. If the Sox are to get New England going crazy about baseball — and I mean, really, really, really crazy — they need to deliver a postseason for the ages.

It’s not complicated. If Chris Sale blows away the Astros today as the opening salvo to a monthlong beatdown of all comers by the Red Sox, I guarantee you “all this other stuff” will be placed in an old steamer trunk and stored away in the Fenway Park attic.

I’ll even make a prediction: If the Sox win the World Series we will soon see Price and Eckersley appearing together in a TV commercial for JetBlue, the official airline of the Boston Red Sox. I’m not kidding.

But the Sox do have to win — that is, at least make it to the World Series — to clean up their image. And if you’re in the camp that believes the Eck incident is old news, the problem with that is the Red Sox never made it right. They simply said, “We’re moving on.” That’s not an apology. That’s walking away from an apology.

I still say some of these Red Sox players have it in them to be powerful, dynamic personalties. Sale, though he says little, has a Nolan Ryan-like demeanor that commands respect. When center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. makes those web gems, when catchers Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon gun down baserunners, when the outfielders do that postgame dance (I love it because it just kind of happened, and stuck), when . . . well, you get then idea.

This team can be all of that, and more.

And yet New England hasn’t embraced the Red Sox as in years past, and, sorry, part of that is because the Eck incident showed them to be horribly whiny and insecure.

Absent a heartfelt apology, only a heart-pounding October can make that go away.

The Boston Red Sox Redemption Tour begins today.

5 keys for Red Sox to beat Astros in ALDS

Jason Mastrodonato

Don’t be fooled by the oddsmakers into thinking the Red Sox don’t have much of a chance against the Houston Astros, who scored more runs per game (5.53) than any team since the 2009 World-Series winning New York Yankees (5.65). The Red Sox have talent, plus Chris Sale, Craig Kimbrel and David Price have the ability to dictate outcomes.

Here are five keys to the Sox getting it done:

1. Run, run, run

The Red Sox can’t hit like the Astros. But they can run, and they’ll have to. It just so happens they’re going against the worst team in the bigs at preventing stolen bases. Astros catcher Brian McCann was almost a non-factor as opponents swiped bags against him at an 87 percent success rate (54-for-62). As a team, they’re allowed a whopping 102 stolen bases this year, fifth-most in the majors, while throwing out an MLB-low 14 runners.

2. Manage well

Unless Sale gets lost on the way to the park, John Farrell can hand him the ball and hope for the best. When he tires, the bullpen is loaded. It’s hard to go wrong with Price, Addison Reed and Kimbrel available in late-inning spots. Farrell’s most important work will be how he makes out his lineup cards and the directions he and his coaching staff give to their pitchers in how they want to attack this explosive Astros offense. In-game managing is always debatable, but in these short series the decisions are often more black and white. Put the best players on the field and let them play.

3. Ace high

Sale has waited nine big league seasons to start a playoff game and had to be eyeballing this day from the moment Chicago traded him to the Red Sox. He’s shown no nerves all season while providing the Red Sox pitching staff the consistency it needed as others faltered around him. Pressure hasn’t meant a thing to him. Will it now?

4. Capitalize on experience

Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts went 6-for-32 with 12 strikeouts in the Division Series last year. The Sox need any of those leftover jitters to turn into a calm confidence when they step to the plate this time around.

5. A veteran lift

Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez must hold up despite their bad knees. Nunez has been a jolt of energy since the Sox got him. Even if he can’t start, he’ll find his way onto the field late in games and could be a difference-maker. Pedroia played just 22 innings in the final week of the season. The Red Sox need his defense at second base and his spark in the order.

Red Sox-Astros: Breaking down the matchups

Chad Jennings

The Red Sox and Astros took different paths to this division series. The Astros, by the second week of May, already had an eight-game lead in the American League West, and they wound up winning the thing by 21. They were a runaway train in the beginning, and they rolled through 20 wins in September. The Red Sox, on the other hand, were mostly a second- and third-place team until August 1, at which point they finally took control of the American League East and never looked back. Two different paths for two different styles. It’s the Astros’ high-octane offense vs. the Red Sox high-powered pitching in the best-of-5 series.

CATCHER

Red Sox:

Christian Vazquez

(.290, 5 HR, 32 RBI)

Astros:

Brian McCann

(.241, 18 HR, 62 RBI)

Skinny: This might not be as lopsided as it seems. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that the advantage shifts away from the seven-time All-Star and toward the guy who opened the season as a backup. McCann is a far greater offensive player than Vazquez, but some of McCann’s raw power is minimized by the Red Sox’ left-handed starters and by the fact he hasn’t hit very well at home this season. The biggest factor in the Red Sox’ favor is defense because Vazquez controls the running game. He and Sandy Leon, who will likely catch Chris Sale in Game 1, had the second-best caught-stealing percentage in baseball this season while the Astros had by far the worst. Vazquez might not be able to match McCann’s offensive ability, but the Red Sox can make up for it by running wild.

Edge: Red Sox

INFIELD

Red Sox:

1B Mitch Moreland

(.246, 22 HR, 79 RBI)

2B Dustin Pedroia

(.293, 7 HR, 62 RBI)

SS Xander Bogaerts

(.273, 10 HR, 62 RBI)

3B Rafael Devers

(.284, 10 HR, 30 RBI)

Astros:

1B Yuli Gurriel

(.299, 18 HR, 75 RBI)

2B Jose Altuve

(.346, 24 HR, 81 RBI)

SS Carlos Correa

(.315, 24 HR, 84 RBI)

3B Alex Bregman

(.284, 19 HR, 71 RBI)

Skinny: With apologies to Pedroia’s track record, there’s not a position in the infield where the Red Sox have a clear advantage. Both Moreland and Gurriel are far better against righties than against lefties, which might leave Hanley Ramirez splitting time at first base for the Red Sox, but the other positions are fairly lopsided in Houston’s favor. Altuve just might win the MVP award, Correa is a just-turned-23 superstar, and Bregman’s .903 second-half OPS dwarfs Devers’ .819. There’s plenty of possibility in the Red Sox infield, especially with Eduardo Nunez in the mix, but it’s hard to bet against this young group of Astros.

Edge: Astros

OUTFIELD

Red Sox:

LF Andrew Benintendi

(.271, 20 HR, 90 RBI)

CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

(.245, 17 HR, 63 RBI)

RF Mookie Betts

(.264, 24 HR, 102 RBI)

Astros:

LF Marwin Gonzalez

(.303, 23 HR, 90 RBI)

CF George Springer

(.283, 34 HR, 85 RBI)

RF Josh Reddick

(.314, 13 HR, 82 RBI)

Skinny: For much of the season, Gonzalez was an everyday player without an everyday position. He’s started at least 14 games at five different spots this year, but he’s settled into left field since the trade of Nori Aoki and the season-ending injury to Jake Marisnick. Gonzalez, a former Rule 5 pick, has responded by leading his team in RBI, becoming a key cog in an explosive lineup. The uncertainty here is Reddick, who missed the season’s last week with a back injury. If he’s limited in the playoffs, the Astros have far lesser alternatives in right field. Uncertainty about Reddick is enough to shift the advantage toward the Red Sox’ own group of excellent outfielders, especially given the way Betts has played later.

Edge: Red Sox

DH

Red Sox:

Hanley Ramirez

(.242, 23 HR, 62 RBI)

Astros:

Evan Gattis

(.263, 12 HR, 55 RBI)

Skinny: Against a right-handed starter, the Astros might turn to Carlos Beltran, one of the great postseason performers of all-time. But against lefties in Games 1 and 2, it will surely be Gattis at DH. He had an underwhelming second half, doesn’t have significant platoon splits, and doesn’t have nearly the pedigree of Ramirez. It’s basically a toss-up between two power-oriented sluggers who had so-so, inconsistent seasons. This is another spot where the potential of Eduardo Nunez comes into play. If he returns as a DH, Nunez could be a sparkplug at the top of the order.

Edge: Even

STARTING ROTATION

Red Sox:

Chris Sale

(17-8, 2.90 ERA)

Drew Pomeranz

(17-6, 3.32 ERA)

Doug Fister

(5-9, 4.88 ERA)

Eduardo Rodriguez

(6-7, 4.19 ERA)

Rick Porcello

(11-17, 4.65 ERA)

Astros:

Justin Verlander

(15-8, 3.36 ERA)

Dallas Keuchel

(14-5, 2.90)

Brad Peacock (13-2, 3.00)

Charlie Morton

(14-7, 3.62)

Skinny: The Red Sox have not announced which of their back-end starters will get the nod in the postseason rotation. It’s entirely possible they could pitch Sale on short rest in Game 4 and then Pomeranz on normal rest in Game 5, so their lack of depth might not be much of an issue. But Sale and Pomeranz also might not be enough to counter an Astros rotation that has both high-end impact and long-term depth. Verlander looked like an ace again after his trade from Detroit (5-0, 1.06 ERA in five starts with Houston). That’s enough to minimize the advantage of Sale in Game 1, and Keuchel neutralizes a breakout season from Pomeranz. Sale is the best starter in this series, but that doesn’t mean the Red Sox have the best rotation.

Edge: Astros

BULLPEN

Red Sox:

Craig Kimbrel

(5-0, 1.43 ERA, 35 saves)

Addison Reed

(1-1, 3.33 ERA)

David Price

(6-3, 3.38 ERA)

Joe Kelly

(4-1, 2.79 ERA)

Carson Smith

(0-0, 1.35 ERA)

Robby Scott

(2-1, 3.79 ERA)

Matt Barnes

(7-3, 3.88 ERA)

Astros:

Ken Giles

(1-3, 2.30 ERA, 34 saves)

Chris Devenski

(8-5, 2.68 ERA)

Joe Musgrove

(7-8, 4.77 ERA)

Will Harris

(3-2, 2.98 ERA)

Francisco Liriano

(0-2, 4.40 ERA)

Luke Gregerson

(2-3, 4.57 ERA)

Lance McCullers

(7-4, 4.25 ERA)

Collin McHugh

(5-2, 3.55 ERA)

Skinny: We’ve listed an extra reliever for each team because they have a choice to make as to who fills out the bullpen. With the potential to add two strong starters, the Astros bullpen might be deeper than the Red Sox’, but the addition of Price is a significant difference maker in a five-game series. The Red Sox can, in theory, turn to Price, Reed and Kimbrel for four or five innings on any given night. Giles has flown slightly under the radar as a dominant closer, coming off a Kimbrel-like second half, and the Astros had the most bullpen strikeouts in baseball this season. Still, it’s hard to bet against that Red Sox trio. The trick is to give them a lead.

Edge: Red Sox

BENCH

Red Sox: C Sandy Leon (.225, 7 HR, 39 RBI), INF Eduardo Nunez (.313, 12 HR, 58 RBI), OF/PR Rajai Davis (.235, 29 SB, 20 RBI), Brock Holt (.200, 0 HR, 7 RBI), OF Chris Young (.235, 7 HR, 25 RBI), INF Deven Marrero (.211, 4 HR, 27 RBI)

Astros: C Juan Centeno (.231, 2 HR, 4 RBI), DH Carlos Beltran (.231, 14 HR, 51 RBI), OF Cameron Maybin (.228, 10 HR, 35 RBI), OF Derek Fisher (.212, 5 HR, 17 RBI), INF Tyler White (.279, 3 HR, 10 RBI)

Skinny: The wild card here is Nunez. Sure, Beltran has the track record of postseason success, but his impact is likely limited to a pinch hit at-bat here and there. Nunez, on the other hand, could be an everyday player at the very top of the Red Sox lineup. He was a tremendous boost after his trade from San Francisco, and a healthy Nunez adds a new dynamic that the Red Sox missed in their head-to-head series against the Astros over the weekend. Frankly, neither team is likely to use its bench much, but, if healthy, Nunez has the greatest potential for impact.

Edge: Red Sox

MANAGER

Red Sox: John Farrell

Astros: A.J. Hinch

Skinny: Second-guessing a manager is perhaps the easiest thing to do in sports. Certainly, Farrell has his share of doubters, but he’s the first Red Sox manager to ever win back-to-back division titles and the first to win the division three times in his tenure. He surely deserves credit for manipulating this bullpen into one of the best in baseball (even before the additions of Reed and Price). That said, Hinch has effectively changed the culture in Houston, blending the front-office love of statistics with his own “been-there, done- that” appreciation for clubhouse leaders like Beltran, McCann, Reddick and Verlander. The Astros are riding high on energy and momentum, and Hinch deserves much of the credit for that.

Edge: Astros

INTANGIBLES

Before winning the wild card game in 2015, the Astros went eight years without a winning record. They missed the playoffs again last season, but they reloaded this winter to win 101 games. They won 20 times in September and finished the season by taking 3-of-4 at Fenway Park. The Astros have a dangerous blend of youth and experience, which has created an uplifting clubhouse culture. The Red Sox, on the other hand, lost their postseason leader when David Ortiz retired. Most of their hitters have limited playoff experience, and Sale has never pitched in the postseason. Even if none of that matters, the Astros still have the more potent lineup, the deeper rotation, and the home field advantage.

Edge: Astros

* The Providence Journal

A Division Series Matter: Red Sox-Astros and the (ir)rationality of the postseason

Tim Britton

THE CONTENTS: The Red Sox take on the Astros in the best-of-five American League Division Series, kicking off Thursday.

THE EPIGRAPH: “Nothing in life is so beautiful as the night before what is yet to be, the night and its dew.” —Independent People, Halldor Laxness

THE EXPOSITION: For the second consecutive season, the Red Sox finished 93-69 and won the American League East — the first time in franchise history they claimed the East in back-to-back years.

The Astros ran away in the American League West from the start of the season, becoming the first team in that division to win 100 games in nine seasons. Houston’s 101 wins are the second-most in franchise history.

THE SCHEDULE:

Game One at Minute Maid Park — Thursday, 4:08 p.m. (all times EST) Game Two at Minute Maid Park — Friday, 2:05 p.m. Game Three at Fenway Park — Sunday, 2:38 p.m. Game Four at Fenway Park — Monday, TBD Game Five at Minute Maid Park — Wednesday, TBD

THE ANNOUNCING CREW: Game One is on MLB Network with Bob Costas and Jim Kaat. The rest of the series is on Fox Sports 1 with Joe Davis and A.J. Pierzynski. (Davis is very good, as you can tell from here.)

THE PITCHING MATCHUPS:

LHP Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA) v. RHP Justin Verlander () LHP Drew Pomeranz (17-6, 3.32) v. LHP Dallas Keuchel

AFTER THAT? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

CARE TO ELABORATE: Let’s grab a yellow legal pad, draw a line down the middle and come up with some pros and cons for Boston’s other rotation candidates:

RICK PORCELLO (11-17, 4.65)

Pro: 2016 Cy Young Award winner, has postseason experience, can pitch deep into a game, has a longer track record of success

Con: His postseason experience isn’t that positive (5.66 ERA in nine games), had a 5.93 ERA in September, was torched by the Astros for seven runs in six innings back in June

EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ (6-7, 4.19)

Pro: The Astros have been worse against left-handed pitching than right-handed pitching, posted a 3.33 ERA in September, has longer stretches of success this season than the other two candidates

Con: The Astros have been just fine against left-handed pitching with Carlos Correa in the lineup, Houston teed off on Rodriguez last week for five runs in 1 2/3 innings, has struggled throughout this season at limiting the big inning

DOUG FISTER (5-9, 4.88)

Pro: Fister boasts the best postseason track record of any Red Sox pitcher, let alone these three, with a 2.60 ERA over nine games (eight starts), his last seven postseason starts have been quality starts, pitched the best against Houston of these three by allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings, can keep the ball on the ground

Con: After four consecutive brilliant starts, he has a 9.18 ERA in his last four, the Astros are more familiar with Fister based not only on last week’s start but that he was on Houston last season, has an 8.70 ERA in the first two innings this season (30 IP, 29 ER).

WHITHER CLAY BUCHHOLZ? On the top of my free-agent to-do list, if I’m the Red Sox, right?

WHICH WAY YOU LEANING? I’d probably lean toward Rodriguez, because if he’s got it, he’s the best of this group — and if he doesn’t, well, you usually know by the second inning (as opposed to Fister, who generally recovers after a bad first two innings). Then I’d have Porcello in line for Game Four, with Fister ready for long relief should Rodriguez not have it.

But it doesn’t matter which way I’m leaning.

WHICH WAY IS JOHN FARRELL LEANING? It sure sounds like he’s leaning toward Fister in Game Three, based on his track record in the postseason (Farrell mentioned “emotional control” the other day) and his ability to keep a game within reach.

BUT: Whoever starts these middle games for the Red Sox, I don’t expect to see them even into the fifth inning. The goal is likely to get through four innings or so, keep the game tight, then turn it over to the expanded Boston bullpen. Whether the Sox can do that in consecutive games is the question.

MIGHT WE SEE CHRIS SALE IN GAME FOUR? If the Sox are down 2-1, I suspect we would, with Pomeranz coming back on regular rest for Game Five. Sale said he’s ready for it.

THE LINEUPS YOU EXPECT IN GAME ONE:

SS Bogaerts 2B Pedroia LF Benintendi RF Betts 1B Moreland DH Ramirez 3B Devers C Leon CF Bradley

CF Springer 3B Bregman 2B Altuve SS Correa DH Gattis LF Gonzalez RF Reddick 1B Gurriel C McCann

WHY NO EDUARDO NUÑEZ? I’d expect Nuñez to be on the postseason roster, and I’d expect him to start Game Two against Keuchel. I’m not sure who he replaces against a right-hander.

THE PROTAGONISTS: The Red Sox reached 93 wins again, but by a very different road. Unlike last year’s squad, which excelled in bludgeoning teams with its bats — remember that early-season homestand that included the Astros in May 2016? — this year’s version relies on winning tight, low-scoring games. The bullpen has been a difference-maker all season long, with the Sox going 15-3 in extra-inning games and 22-19 in one-run games.

The Sox needed to win that way because their offense came back to earth — across the board. Of the dozen position players who received at least 15 plate appearances in the last two seasons, one — ONE — was better in 2017 than in 2016. (Take a bow, Christian Vazquez.)

But, that doesn’t mean the Sox don’t possess an offense capable of scoring runs. This might be the crux of this series: Over the course of 162 games, Boston’s offense has been mediocre. But it has the skill to be an explosive, very good offense over short samples. Might it pick the right time to be hot?

THE ANTAGONISTS: The Astros don’t have to worry as much about timing their offensive hot streaks; 2017 has been a sustained one for Houston’s bats. The Astros have scored more runs than any team since the 2009 Yankees — a World Series winner, mind you — and can boast of six different players with 200+ plate appearances and an OPS+ of 120 or better; the Red Sox have none.

Furthermore, Houston’s addition of Verlander shored up its biggest weakness — no offense to Keuchel. Verlander is an alpha pitcher at a time when those guys shine, and now it’s Keuchel in Game Two rather than Houston’s own mélange of suboptimal mid-range starters.

THE CONFLICT(S):

Does Verlander negate Sale?

This will mark the third time this season and seventh time in their careers the two have faced off against one another, with Verlander consistently getting the better of Sale; his teams are 5-1 in the matchups, with the lone setback occurring in their last meeting in June when the right-hander was with Detroit.

It’s not as if Sale has pitched badly in those games; his ERA is 2.95. But Verlander’s is 1.93.

For Boston to win this series, it needs its ace to be an ace. And it needs to be patient against Verlander.

What can David Price bring to the bullpen?

The Red Sox are counting on Price to be a linchpin in their bullpen. With their starters likely to go short in the middle games, Boston will need the left-hander to be the kind of game-changing fireman every team is looking for in the postseason now.

Can Boston exploit Houston’s biggest weakness — and run?

It’ll be tough in the first two games. Verlander has historically been tough to run on — although opponents are nine-for-10 this season — and Keuchel has allowed just five steals in nine attempts over the past two seasons. But the Astros’ catchers are susceptible to the steal, especially once Houston’s relievers get into the game. Kansas City showed just how much a running game can change a game come October back in 2014; the Red Sox could steal a game, literally, with their legs.

Does anyone on the Red Sox step up offensively?

We mentioned it earlier: For Boston to win, somebody — anybody — is going to have to get hot. The Sox have plenty of candidates who are capable of carrying the offense for five games. They just need one to show up this next week.

BOSTON’S DIVISION SERIES, RANKED, NEGLECTING THE LOSSES BECAUSE WHY WOULD WE RANK THOSE?:

1. 1999, Cleveland, 5 games 2. 2003, Oakland, 5 games 3. 2004, Anaheim, 3 games 4. 2007, Anaheim, 3 games 5. 2013, Tampa Bay, 4 games 6. 2008, Anaheim, 4 games

RECENT SERIES HISTORY: The Astros took four of seven from the Red Sox this season, with Boston winning two of three at Minute Maid Park and Houston coming back to win three out of four at Fenway the final weekend of the season. This is, obviously, their first playoff meeting — though these two teams have been in the postseason in the same season five previous times, all when Houston was in the National League (2005, 2004, 1999, 1998, 1986).

WHAT THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL IS TELLING YOU TO THINK: Oh dear, so many things. Let’s run through them all, with my favorites toward the top:

What can Chris Sale expect in his first postseason start? I asked a host of pitchers with long playoff track records

I did a series on potential ALDS X-factors: Boston’s outfield defense is its largest marginal advantage in the American League postseason, Rajai Davis can exploit Houston’s weakness behind the plate and Addison Reed has stabilized the bullpen before David Price revitalized it

Craig Kimbrel’s excellence this season has left the Red Sox grasping for explanations

The Red Sox feel better equipped to chase the postseason ghost this time around

The Red Sox are in an unusual position: as the underdog (from Kevin McNamara)

Familiarity breeds...? Carl Willis knows what it’s like to finish the season and start the postseason against the same team

Like the Red Sox, the Astros are motivated by a recent ALDS loss

The Red Sox made history by clinching the East for a second straight year. These are their biggest wins

WHAT THE (OTHER) MEDIA IS TELLING YOU TO THINK: Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle on Carlos Correa’s penchant for shining on the brightest stages.

PREDICTION TIME: Bill Ballou ran through the position by position breakdown, giving Houston the edge at second base, third base, shortstop, center field and the rotation and Boston the advantage at catcher, right field, left field, the bullpen, bench and manager.

Look, anything can happen in a postseason series — almost to the point that it can feel irrational to attempt to pick them. (I did not feel this way last year, since I had nailed all three Red Sox playoff series in 2013.)

There are ways in which the Red Sox can win this series: They can get two great starts from Chris Sale and one other serviceable one pieced together from the rest of the staff. They can steal a game or two with their bullpen. They’ve got enough hitters capable of getting hot and carrying the team in a short series. They can steal a game with their legs.

Houston doesn’t need to steal games in this series. The Astros are the better team, with a top two that can match Boston’s and a deeper cast of potential starters. Houston’s offensive edge over the Red Sox is far and away the largest in this series, and it’s going to be tough for the Sox to hold the Astros down for five games with basically five or six trustworthy pitchers. That’s why I’m taking the Astros in four.

Red Sox have yet to finalize roster; Chris Sale ready to go on three days’ rest if needed

Tim Britton

HOUSTON — The Red Sox have not yet set their roster or defined their rotation for their American League Division Series with the Astros. Boston has until 11 a.m. EST to set the roster. Manager John Farrell said he was moving close to naming a Game Three starter behind Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz.

One thing Farrell is still working through is where Eduardo Nuñez fits. Nuñez has come out well through several days of workouts and is expected to be on the postseason roster. He’s played one game in the last four weeks.

Farrell reiterated that the team will need to carry some extra infield depth behind Nuñez and Dustin Pedroia, suggesting Chris Young may be an odd man out on the roster.

***

Chris Sale’s biggest statement on Wednesday wasn’t about his Game One start on Thursday; it was about the possibility of starting Game Four on three days’ rest on Monday, if necessary.

“Three days’ rest, I’m in,” Sale said. “This is what I live for. I’m throwing until my arm falls off.”

Given Boston’s relatively uninspiring options in the back end of the rotation, starting Sale if down in the series going into Game Four would seem to make sense — even though the lefty has never done it as a major-leaguer. Farrell has said the team would consider it, as has pitching coach Carl Willis.

“If it’s feasible and not jeopardizing the pitcher, it’s something you have to consider,” Willis said last week.

Would the team talk to Sale about that possibility even before Game One?

“The best way to do anything is to give guys a heads up that we’re thinking we may possibly do this. But you have to be careful because you don’t want them to change their mindset that day either,” Willis said. “It’s always best knowing prior to going in.”

Astros motivated by ALDS loss from 2015

Tim Britton

HOUSTON — The Red Sox aren’t the only team lamenting their missed opportunity the last time they were in the postseason.

While Boston has used last year’s surprising Division Series sweep to Cleveland as motivation throughout the season, the Astros have stewed for two years about what should have happened in the 2015 postseason. Leading the Royals 2-1 in the series and 6-2 in the eighth inning of Game Four at home, Houston let the game and the series slip away. Kansas City went on to win the World Series.

“I thought I was going to go this whole session without talking about Game Four of 2015,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said with a smile on Wedneday. “I’ve been wearing it for three years.

“I think it made us a little hungrier to get back and get to this point again. You’ve got to be good to be in this position, and our players that played in 2015 certainly talk about it. You’re going to find a team that’s expected to be here, that wants to be here, and I think that flourishes here.”

“The guys who were here definitely hold the Royals series close because we should have taken that series,” said starter Dallas Keuchel, who won Game Three of that ALDS for Houston. “The fact that we didn’t really frustrated us. It’s good to go back.”

In that five-run eighth inning Royals rally, shortstop Carlos Correa — who had homered twice in that game — made a critical error.

“We know what to expect now,” Correa said of a second postseason taste. “We have a way better team than 2015. So our confidence is at an optimum level, and we’re ready to go out there and compete.”

* The Springfield Republican

Kimbrel: dominant 2017 Red Sox season 'means nothing yet' if I don't carry it into postseason

Christopher Smith

HOUSTON -- Craig Kimbrel put together one of the best regular seasons of any closer in Red Sox history during 2017.

"It really means nothing yet," Kimbrel told MassLive on Wednesday. "The playoffs just started."

Kimbrel and the Red Sox begin their best-of-five ALDS against the Astros here at Minute Maid Park today at 4:08 p.m.

Kimbrel's 2017 stats jump off the charts. He averaged 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 1.8 walks. He posted a 0.68 WHIP and 1.43 ERA. The opposition batted .140 against him.

He recorded more than three outs in seven different games. He converted 35-of-39 save opportunities.

"You can have a great season. I mean, you talk about Koji (Uehara). Koji had a great year (in 2013)," Kimbrel said. "He also carried it over into the postseason. You saw what he did then. So maybe when we're done with this we can sit down and talk about it a little bit more. But we got a lot more season to go."

Jonathan Papelbon arguably is the most dominant closer in Red Sox history. But he never posted a WHIP as low as 0.68 during his seven years in Boston. Nor did he ever have come close to 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Papelbon's highest strikeout rate was 13.0 in 2007.

Uehara's 2013 and Kimbrel's 2017 might rank as the two best in Red Sox history. Uehara posted a lower WHIP (0.57) and ERA (1.09). He averaged 12.2 strikeouts to 1.1 walks per nine innings.

Keith Foulke in 2004 had one of the greatest, if not the best, season of any Red Sox closer if you factor in the playoffs.

Foulke posted a 2.17 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and averaged 8.6 strikeouts to 1.6 walks per nine innings. But what makes his season stand out so much is the postseason stats/workload. Terry Francona used him for multiple innings in several outings.

He allowed just one run in 14 innings (11 outings) during the 2004 postseason.

Red Sox manager John Farrell won't hesitate to use Kimbrel for more than three outs in a postseason game.

"We've used him as much as two full innings and while you don't necessarily want to do that all the time, one-plus innings are going to be on the table every day provided that the day before wasn't two innings or a high number of pitches," Farrell said.

Kimbrel added, "This is why we play We want to have the opportunity to win a World Series. This is the first step to it. We're here."

Kimbrel arguably has been the top closer of this decade. He won the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year with the Braves. He led the NL in saves each of his first four seasons. Three of those seasons he posted an ERA under 2.00 and WHIP under 1.00.

Brian McCann -- who caught Kimbrel in Atlanta -- now plays for the Astros.

"Great teammate. Obviously his stuff speaks for itself. But you look at the longevity he's had, the consistency, he's just as good as they come," McCann told MassLive.com.

"I don't think you expect someone to come up and put together the career he's had," McCann added. "But when you see him, when you get to know him, you know what he's made of, it doesn't surprise you at all.

"When he's on the baseball field he competes as well as anybody."

Kimbrel's family frequently attends his road games and will be here in Houston.

"Hell ya. I like having them around. My dad will be around here somewhere."

Xander Bogaerts, finally pain-free, found a groove in leadoff spot for Boston Red Sox

Jen McCaffrey

HOUSTON - Xander Bogaerts says he's finally pain-free and it showed in the final 10 days of the regular season.

The Red Sox shortstop battled a hand injury for much of the second half after jamming his thumb on a slide right before the All-Star break. It prevented him from gripping the bat with all his strength and in hindsight, it might have been better for him to take some time off.

"I know the type of player I am when I'm healthy," Bogaerts said recently. "That was not a good feeling coming to the park and swinging with pain but I wanted to be a team player. Maybe in the end you look back and maybe you shouldn't have done it, but we're No. 1 in the division so it paid off in the end."

Bogaerts hit .303 with an .806 OPS in the first half, but just .235 with a .671 OPS in the second half following the injury. He did, however, finish the season on a high note.

In six games over the final homestand, Bogaerts went 10-for-24 (.417) with a 1.087 OPS, including two doubles and a homer.

"I've been feeling good for about a week," he said. "I don't have pain in my hand, I don't have any pain in my hand even in the cage, even in batting practice, I'm swinging painless in the cage. I feel good and turn on the inside pitches now compared to before when I couldn't even swing at it so it's been good so far."

His success at the plate has coincided with a move to the leadoff spot. Eduardo Nunez had been leading off for Boston before his knee injury in early September. Manager John Farrell slotted Bogaerts into the spot on Sept. 13 and he's recorded a hit or walk in all but three games since.

Even with the likelihood that Nunez plays in the American League Division Series, Farrell expects to keep Bogaerts in the leadoff spot.

"He's responded well," Farrell said. "The on-bases has spiked we're seeing much more consistent hard contact, so right now that's the thought."

After a trying second half, Bogaerts is hoping the struggles are behind him.

"Hopefully I can continue the way I'm playing right now and head onto the next round," he said.

Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox ALDS Game 1 starter: 'I'm throwing until my arm falls off'

Christopher Smith

HOUSTON -- Manager John Farrell said Sunday that the Red Sox have discussed bringing back Chris Sale on three-days rest to pitch Game 4 of the ALDS on Monday in Boston.

Sale is ready do it if Farrell asks him.

"Three-days rest, I'm in," Sale said here at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday. "This is what I live for. I'm throwing until my arm falls off."

Sale will start Game 1 of the ALDS vs. the Astros tomorrow at 4:08 p.m.

"That's been part of the conversation," Farrell said Sunday about bringing back Sale on three-days rest. "But we haven't settled on that. How we build out the bullpen (could play a factor). There's a number of different scenarios that have valid points for each. But we're not there to announce that quite yet."

Farrell has yet to announce a Game 3 starter. Drew Pomeranz will start in Game 2.

There's four days between Game 2 and 5. So Pomeranz could start Game 5 if Sale pitches Game 4.

Sale hasn't started a game since Sept. 26. So he'll be on eight-days rest tomorrow.

"I did have extended rest this time, which I think is good obviously this time of year," Sale said. "Catch your breath, get your feet underneath you. I threw a little bit more intensified bullpen this past week than I usually do to kind of get prepared, sharpen up a little bit."

Sale sounded like he had a cold today.

" I think we have had a couple of guys that have kind of passed around a little bit, so nothing uncommon to what we have experienced throughout the course of the year," Farrell said.

Nunez injury update: Boston Red Sox infielder works on sliding, running, fielding ahead of ALDS

Jen McCaffrey

HOUSTON - Eduardo Nunez continues to strengthen his right knee ahead of the American League Division Series.

While manager John Farrell has noted Nunez will likely be on the postseason roster, whether or not Nunez will be able to play in the field remains to be seen.

"There's some thought to how we get him at-bats, how we get him on the field," Farrell said. "With a right- hander (Justin Verlander) and then a left-hander (Dallas Keuchel), there's a couple of different ways we can go with this."

While the team had Monday off, Nunez, who's been fitted with a custom brace and footwear, was at Fenway playing in a simulated game with Roenis Elias pitching. On Tuesday, he joined the team workout before heading to Houston, where he took batting practice and field grounders.

On Wednesday in Houston, he continued similar work.

"I think the most encouraging thing is the way he's come through the workdays the last three days out," Farrell said. "Yesterday we were able to test him in a number of different ways, including sliding, running at full speed. He was able to accomplish all that. So a little bit of a setback in terms of the aggravation 10 days ago or so, but his work has been outstanding here of late."

Pedroia 'healthy enough' heading into American League Division Series against Houston Astros

Jen McCaffrey

HOUSTON - Dustin Pedroia is healthy enough and that's as good as it's going to get.

The Red Sox second baseman has battled left knee inflammation for much of the season, requiring two stints on the disabled list in the second half.

As the Red Sox enter the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros, Pedroia will be on the field but the Red Sox are expected to carry an extra infielder with Eduardo Nunez also battling injury.

"He's healthy enough. I think the last couple of days have helped him," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "And I think for guys that are dealing with some physical ailments, whether they have been banged up a little bit, the additional days of rest and treatment they can receive have been beneficial."

The 33-year-old Pedroia, who's played in 47 postseason games in his career, hit .293 with a .760 OPS in 105 games this season.

"I feel good. Ready to go," Pedroia said. "A lot of hard work from our training staff and strength coaches and everybody to get me ready, so I'm excited."

While it's been a nagging injury all season that has cut into his ability to play on an everyday basis, Pedroia said there was never a point he thought he wouldn't be able to be on the field come October. "Obviously I play a position where you hit the deck a lot, but mentally you just try to just block that out, know it's a part of the game, try to come back and do all you can to help your teammates," Pedroia said. "So I knew I would be in a position to help us here in this part of the year."

Justin Verlander vs. Chris Sale in Game 1 ALDS: 'It's kind of like the first person to blink'

Jen McCaffrey

HOUSTON - Houston Astro's ace Justin Verlander summed up his marquee Game 1 American League Division Series matchup against Chris Sale perfectly.

"We faced off a lot of times," Verlander said Wednesday, on the eve of the Game 1 match. "You know what type of matchup it's going to be. It's going to be a grind. It's kind of like the first person to blink."

Verlander, who spent his entire 13-year career in Detroit before a trade to Houston at the deadline this summer, has quite a bit of familiarity in facing Sale.

Prior to his offseason trade to Boston, Sale spent the first seven years of his career pitching for the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

The two have faced off seven times over their careers, including twice this season.

In those seven starts, Sale has a 2.95 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 16 walks.

Verlander has a 1.93 ERA with 44 strikeouts and eight walks.

"As a starting pitcher, you love those battles, but in the regular season kind of see who you're going up against, it's kind of like, all right, let's strap it on and go, because you know it's going to be that type of battle," Verlander said. "He's a fierce competitor I always enjoyed watching him pitch."

* The New Hampshire Union Leader

Mike Shalin's Working Press: Thursday a mega day for Boston sports

Mike Shalin

One of those rare/special sports days is almost upon us.

Starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, local fans have a TV fest to behold: Red Sox-Astros at 4 and then the Bruins-Predators and Patriots-Buccaneers at night.

Clearly, the Red Sox’ game in Houston, with Chris Sale making his first-ever postseason start when he faces old AL Central nemesis Justin Verlander, is the most important of the three games. But while the Bruins are just playing their opener, the Patriots are at a rare crossroads of their season down in Tampa.

Putting it mildly, there simply is no defense for the way the defense is playing.

The Pats are 2-2 — the same record as the Jets and a game behind the Bills in the worst division in football — and have allowed 128 points in four games. They are ranked last in the NFL in defense, next to last in points allowed. Now, another talented young quarterback is in their way.

Is THIS the game Stephon Gilmore finally fits in? Well, the guy ranked 58th among cornerback by Football Focus, is battling two injuries, so even if he plays, he’s hurt.

Watching the defense in Sunday’s loss to Carolina, you didn’t have to be a football coach to know there was no communication in the defensive backfield. We’re almost willing to give the front seven a pass. Dont’a Hightower just came back last week and Rob Ninkovich is missed (time to end that retirement, Robby boy).But the secondary is a mess.

Devin McCourty, always well-spoken when it comes to things both on and off the field, says, “It’s bad. We’re letting our team down and not playing good football. If we can’t play somewhat decent defense; it’s going to be hard to win games. Our offense played great last week and bailed us out and they played great again this week, and we (the defense) let them down.”

Too many people running WAY too free downfield and now they have to deal with Jameis Winston, DeSean Jackson and Co.

Too much whine

While the defense has been the focus of what’s been going on, the Patriots felt they wuz robbed by the refs Sunday, some even bringing up the old Roger Goodell conspiracy thing, that the refs purposely stuck it to the Patriots.

Nonsense.

“Some weeks you get those calls, some weeks you don’t,” Tom Brady, not whining, said on his weekly WEEI appearance. “We just didn’t get them yesterday, but still we’re not making any excuse. We didn’t get the job done offensively, defensively, special teams — I mean we just have to collectively do a better job if we’re going to win these games.”

Last year, the Pats allowed 61 points in their first three games and were 3-1. Now, it’s 32 points per game and the record really should be 1-3. And now they have the quick turnaround and playing in warm weather.

The Bucs have had trouble getting the ball to Jackson, who hasn’t been happy. Coach Dirk Koetter says Jackson “Should be frustrated. He’s an elite receiver in this league. We have to get him the ball.”

This could be the chance.

Sale on the spot

This has been said before, but Doug Fister is the only red Sox pitcher with a postseason victory as a starting pitcher. Sale has never been there. Verlander has. Know what that means? Nothing.

Sale will go out there Thursday afternoon and either be a star or continue his late-season struggles. Remember, he’s 11-16 lifetime in September/October.

“I’m 28 years old, so I’ve been waiting for this about 23 years,” Sale said Tuesday. “This has been a long time coming. A lot of hard work went into this. It’s a long season. We had a lot of guys put everything they had on the field the entire season. To have this opportunity right here, it’s the best.”

If you want to look ahead, the World Series now has home-field advantage decided by regular season records, meaning the Red Sox would have the edge against the Cubs or Rockies and not against the Dodgers, Nationals or Diamondbacks.

Bruins open season

If you take a look at the Bruins roster, you will see not much has been done since the end of last season to make this team better after barely making the playoffs.

This team is all about youth — and the old man anchoring the defense.

“I know a couple of our veteran players made comments early in preseason, that they were excited about getting them into the lineup, when they weren’t playing,” GM Don Sweeney said at Tuesday’s media day. “It’s exciting to hear that. These guys are, they are new and they’re fresh, and they’re learning. But they have all this energy, and it does certainly permeate through the locker room, and guys do feed off it, there’s no question.”

The Malcolm Subban “era” ended in Boston Tuesday when the expansion Golden Knights claimed the goalie off waivers. Subban just never showed the Bruins enough to indicate he’s an NHL goalie and you have to think moving on will take some of the pressure off him.

How about this: Jeremy Jacobs thinks a 2020 lockout “would not be constructive.” Remember, the new Hall of Famer has led the charge for these interruptions in the past.

Missing Isaiah

Isaiah Thomas wouldn’t have played for the Celtics in their preseason opener even if he hadn’t been traded, but it still seemed a bit off seeing the Celtics without him. And Jae Crowder. And Kelly Olynyk. And others.

This may take a while to jell, folks.

Jaylen Brown, who seems to get better every time he walks onto a basketball court, certainly has noticed the difference.

“It changes the whole dynamic, the whole culture,” Brown told Complex Magazine. “We’ll see if it’s for good or bad. Time will tell. But it’s still a little weird to me, to be honest, because when I came in everything they stressed was culture, environment, Celtic basketball. Now, it’s like what is the environment, the culture, what is Celtic basketball? I think it’s a great opportunity for me, great opportunity for the Celtics, great opportunity for Kyrie (Irving).

“Obviously, I loved Isaiah. He was like a big brother to me. I watched him, admired him, the chip he carried on his shoulder I love him. I still do. I’ve kept in contact with him. Congratulated him when he got traded to the Cavs. It’s tough because it’s the business we live in. Do I agree with it? Not necessarily. I think Isaiah definitely tried to plant his flag in Boston. He will definitely be missed — he and Jae both.”

Here and there

Tuesday was the anniversary of Bobby Thomson’s "Shot Heard Round The World" in 1951. … Aaron Judge’s jersey was MLB’s No. 1 seller, followed by Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Clayton Kershaw and Bryce Harper. … Brad Stevens says the Celtics will not name a captain. … David Ortiz has joined Fox for the postseason. …

Pablo Sandoval hit .225 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 47 games in his return to San Francisco. He ended the year with a walkoff homer in the finale, the win costing the Giants the top pick in next year’s draft. … Our buddy Marc Topkin reports long-time pitching coach Jim Hickey and bench coach Tom Foley won’t be back with the Rays next season. …

The NBA is changing its All-Star format, ditching East vs. West with team captains drafting their squads. There still won’t be any defense and the players are playing for charity. … Finally, and we know you were dying to know this: The Patriots will wear white jerseys and white pants Thursday night.

* RedSox.com

'What I'm here for': Sale set for October stage

Ian Browne

HOUSTON -- There have been 91 wins, 1,324 1/3 innings, 1,552 strikeouts and six All-Star appearances that Chris Sale put on his resume in dominant fashion over the past eight seasons.

But for the Red Sox's ace, nothing will match the thrill of today, when he takes the mound for Game 1 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan against the Astros in the first postseason start of his career.

"A lot of hard work goes into this, ups and downs of the season, battling the travel and all this other stuff," said Sale. "So to be sitting here right now is pretty fulfilling."

The challenge will be stiff, as Sale goes against a potent Houston offense that won 101 games and finished the season red hot. And the opposing pitcher will be Justin Verlander, the power righty who Sale had many battles against during their years together in the AL Central. These are the challenges the lanky left-hander longed to be a part of for all those years he watched the postseason on television.

"They're real good," Sale said of the Astros. "We got to look at them just last week. So we know what we're getting ourselves into and we know what we need to do. So it's just about going out there and getting it done."

The way the Red Sox are built, they will have to lean heavily on Sale to make a prolonged run this October. And if that means pitching on three days' rest as early as Game 4 of this series, Sale says to bring it on. "Three days' rest, I'm in," said Sale. "This is what I live for. I'm throwing until my arm falls off."

Verlander will have a similar mentality for the Astros in what could be an epic duel.

"We faced off a lot of times," Verlander said. "You know what type of matchup it's going to be. It's going to be a grind. It's kind of like the first person to blink, you know. As a starting pitcher, you love those battles, but in the regular season kind of see who you're going up against -- it's kind of like, all right, let's strap it on and go, because you know it's going to be that type of battle.

MLB Tonight on Verlander, Sale

"He's a fierce competitor and I've always enjoyed watching him pitch. But this time I'm not rooting for him so much. But it should be a fun game, this is what you dream of as a kid coming up -- you want to face the best and he's one of the best in the game right now. So it will be a lot of fun."

The Red Sox have been waiting for this since they acquired Sale from the White Sox in a blockbuster trade 10 months ago. Sale has been waiting for it a lot longer than that.

"I'm 28 years old, so I've been waiting for this about 23 years," said Sale. "It's what I'm here for. To have this opportunity right here, it's the best."

In 32 starts this season, Sale was 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA and 308 strikeouts. Across the board, his numbers are dazzling. Only Indians ace Corey Kluber can compare in the AL this season.

And now, everyone will see if Sale can reach even another gear in the postseason. One thing is for sure: The Red Sox look forward to watching him try.

"He's been unbelievable since Day One, not only just obviously the stuff he has on the mound, but his presence in the clubhouse," said Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "The way he attacks every day, he's always trying to get better. He's a pretty special guy to play with, and we're pretty excited to have him out there on the mound."

Though even some of the best pitchers in recent years have struggled in October -- including Clayton Kershaw and David Price -- the Red Sox think that Sale is built for this time of year.

"I think this somewhat compares to the way he came into Boston following the trade," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He has handled it without distraction, he's handled it with, I think, a consistency to his routine and being true to himself, who he is as a performer, as a pitcher.

In two career starts at Minute Maid Park, Sale is 1-1 with a 2.40 ERA. He has always pitched well against Houston, going 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA in six starts. But none of that will mean anything on Thursday. It will all come down to how well Sale can execute in the biggest test to date of his career.

"For me, just it's going to be hard not to, but try not to put too much emphasis on it," said Sale. "Just try to treat this just like another game. You get a little amped up sometimes and that can kind of go crazy. So I'm going to just try to go out there and pitch my game and act like this is just another one along the way."

Pedroia battles injuries, 'ready to go' in ALDS

Ian Browne

HOUSTON -- The discomfort in Dustin Pedroia's left knee has been persistent during the regular season. The fact that the Red Sox's second baseman was able to play in 105 games was an accomplishment in itself considering what he was going through physically.

But the 34-year-old veteran got to the finish line still standing, and when the American League Championship Series presented by Doosan starts Thursday, Pedroia will be appearing in the postseason for the sixth time in his career, in pursuit of his third World Series championship.

Is he healthy?

"He's healthy enough," said Red Sox manager John Farrell on the eve of Game 1 of the ALDS against the Astros.

Pedroia has never sat out a game in the postseason. And he doesn't plan on missing any this year. Though Pedroia missed the final three games of the regular season for maintenance of his knee, that was only so he could make sure he'd be good to go when his team needs him most.

"Yeah, I feel good. Ready to go," said Pedroia. "A lot of hard work from our training staff and strength coaches and everybody to get me ready, so I'm excited."

In typical Pedroia fashion, he gives you almost a shoulder shrug when you ask how tough this season has been on him.

"No, I mean it's a part of the game," said Pedroia, who hit .293 with seven homers and 62 RBIs during the regular season. "Obviously I play a position where you hit the deck a lot, but mentally, you just try to just block that out, know it's a part of the game, try to come back and do all you can to help your teammates. So I knew I would be in a position to help us here in this part of the year."

Pedroia has always been widely respected by his teammates. But he gained even a new level of admiration this season given what he's gone through.

"He competes," said Red Sox ace Chris Sale. "He's definitely the spark plug to this team. You think about the Boston Red Sox, he's probably the first name you think of. He's by definition a grinder. We all know this year and how it's played out and the things he's had to go through and it's admirable. He's as tough as they get, and to be able to have him in my corner is huge."

This might be the first time in Pedroia's career that he isn't the best second baseman in the postseason series he's playing in. That honor goes to Houston's Jose Altuve, the AL batting champ and a candidate for the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

As it turns out, Pedroia might have no bigger fan in this series than Altuve.

"I think the way he plays, he goes out there and plays at 100 percent every single game. He never takes it for granted," said Altuve. "He dives, he slides, he does everything the right way. He's been in the league longer than me and when I was in the Minor Leagues he was one of my favorite players.

"To play the same position that Dustin Pedroia, former MVP, World Series [champ], everything he has accomplished, I feel really proud to be in the same game and play in the game with him."

With David Ortiz no longer around, Pedroia is the signature veteran for this Boston playoff edition.

"Obviously, David was there for a long time and I think it was weird at the beginning, but now we have gone through a whole season without him, our team has formed our own identity," Pedroia said. "So we're not really focused on that. We're focused on trying to compete and win baseball games together and we're not thinking about anything else."

When the Red Sox go through their most adverse moments this October, Pedroia will be someone they can turn to.

"He brings an immense amount of postseason experience and I think the number of games in which he's played in the postseason will certainly be a benefit not only to him, but guys around him," said Farrell. "There's a voice in our clubhouse that speaks from experience and I think a number of guys will look to him for that as well."

* ESPNBoston.com

'I've been waiting for this for about 23 years': Inside Chris Sale's long road to the playoffs

Scott Lauber

HOUSTON -- A few minutes before the biggest game in the history of the baseball program at Florida Gulf Coast University, Dave Tollett walked out to the bullpen to make sure his starting pitcher wasn't freaking out.

"Coach, don't worry," Chris Sale said. "We're going to get this done."

Then, as promised, Sale gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings, struck out 11 batters and outdueled Stetson ace Jacob deGrom (yes, that Jacob deGrom) in the first round of the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. The 9-4 victory was the finishing flourish of Sale's 11-0 record as a junior, and it represented the first postseason win in the Division I ranks for Florida Gulf Coast.

It was also the last playoff game Sale pitched.

The last time Red Sox ace Chris Sale pitched in a postseason game, he beat Jacob deGrom -- in the first round of the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire The Chicago White Sox finished six games out of first place when Sale was a rookie in 2010 and three games out in 2012. Otherwise, the ace left-hander never so much as sniffed the postseason in his first seven big league seasons.

There's no telling, then, how Sale will react Thursday when he takes the ball for the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

"I'm 28 years old, so I've been waiting for this for about 23 years," Sale said. "This has been a long time coming."

Given Sale's ability and regular-season history, he would appear to be a safe bet to give the power-packed Houston Astros all they can handle. Plus, Sale's first season with the Red Sox couldn't have gone much better. In 32 starts, he went 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA. He led the majors in innings (214.1) and strikeouts (308). It was exactly what the Red Sox expected when they acquired him in December in a blockbuster trade that sent prized prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech to Chicago.

But October tends to have a strange effect on even the best pitchers. For every Roy Halladay, who tossed a no-hitter in his first career playoff start, there is a Clayton Kershaw, who is 4-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 14 career postseason starts. Justin Verlander, the Astros' Game 1 starter, posted a 5.57 ERA in his first eight playoff starts and a 1.76 ERA in his past eight.

Until Sale scales the mound at Minute Maid Park and experiences the intensity of the playoffs, we can't possibly know if he will rise like Madison Bumgarner or spontaneously combust like (gulp) David Price.

"I think he's going to do just fine," said Pedro Martinez, the last AL pitcher before Sale to rack up 300 strikeouts in a season. "His stuff plays perfect to beat anybody at any point. By this time, I think he's over the hump of having the postseason [get to him]. I think Chris Sale is going to approach the game exactly how he does every single day. The game remains the game. It's 27 outs, nine innings. I think he realizes that. He's mature enough to understand those things."

Tollett is one of the few people who has seen Sale do it. Because Florida Gulf Coast stepped up to Division I in 2008, it wasn't eligible to compete in the conference tournament until 2010, Sale's junior year. As a sophomore, Sale's biggest start came in a head-to-head matchup with Lipscomb's Rex Brothers, an eventual first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies. Sale won that duel, allowing one run in eight innings in a 7- 1 victory.

Sale's big-game mettle was never more evident than in that first-round game against Stetson in 2010 in Nashville.

"He knew what it meant to the program and what it meant to the school, and he was just lights-out," Tollett said. "I just remember everything being business as usual. I went down there, and I said, 'Just go out there and be you. Don't try to do anything more or any less.' And he said, 'Don't worry.' That's just the way he is. I mean, he thrives on this kind of stuff, man.

"And he was really good. He was really good every time I counted on him to be really big. When the chips were high, he was always at his best."

But Sale's scant opportunities to pitch in meaningful late-season games in the big leagues haven't always gone as well.

The White Sox had not been eliminated from the playoff race when Sale faced the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 29, 2012. He gave up five runs on seven hits, including a homer by Jeff Keppinger, and lasted only 3⅓ innings, his shortest outing of the season.

Sale stumbled down the stretch this season, alternating one good start with one bad start and contributing to the Red Sox's inability to clinch the AL East until the season's penultimate game. He allowed three solo homers in 4⅓ innings of a 9-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Sept. 3 and four homers in five innings of his final regular-season start last week against the Toronto Blue Jays. In his past 11 starts, he went 4-4 with a 4.09 ERA.

Fatigue might have been a factor. The Red Sox pushed Sale hard early in the season, then lined him up to face the second-place Yankees three times in the span of four weeks after the All-Star break. Sale threw the second-most pitches in the majors, trailing only Verlander.

Six pitches to stardom

The six pitches -- at Fenway Park! -- that turned lanky college lefty Chris Sale into a legend. Scott Lauber » But if Sale's arm was dragging in September, Tollett suspects he will get a second wind in October. After all, he has been waiting for this moment.

Sale was sitting in Tollett's office the day he got traded to Boston. His first reaction: "Man, I might get a chance to pitch in the postseason." On Saturday night, Tollett's phone lit up with a text message from Sale that read, in part, "Coach, it feels so good to be a champion again."

"That's all he wants to do is pitch for a team that's in the postseason," Tollett said. "He will prepare like any other start, and he will be amped up and ready to go. I'm sure of that."

But there is such a thing as being too amped up in the postseason, especially for Game 1. The adrenaline begins to flow during the pageantry of the pregame ceremony and only builds from there as a pitcher gets loose in the bullpen and makes the long walk across the outfield and back to the dugout.

Verlander referred Tuesday to the "buzz" of the playoffs, "an excitement, even in the locker room, you just sense and feel it." He also talked about “how much more emphasis and stress is put on every single pitch.”

Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski, in his previous job as general manager of the Detroit Tigers, witnessed firsthand how postseason intensity impacted Verlander, whose early list of postseason duds included allowing seven runs, committing an error and not making it out of the sixth inning of Game 1 of the 2006 World Series.

"Part of it, he was so amped up at that time, he just had a little bit extra adrenaline flowing," Dombrowski said. "And then over time, even though that adrenaline was still flowing, he kept it more under control and then, as you know, went on and dominated in the postseason. So sometimes it’s just a process for guys. Of course, you’d love people to dominate any time you talk about the postseason. You’d love people to be Madison Bumgarner all the time when you go out there. But it’s difficult to do."

Red Sox manager John Farrell believes that a season in sports-crazed Boston, where the expectation from the first day of spring training was for Sale to dominate, will prepare the pitcher for what he will face this month.

And Sale is focused on keeping everything the same, including not clogging his mind by poring over scouting reports.

"I don't want to put any more emphasis on this than there already is," he said. "This is obviously playoff baseball, so it comes with a lot more attention. But for me, I'm going to pitch the same game. I'm going to go out there and do the same things I've always done. I'm not going to reach for another avenue that I haven't reached for in my entire career. I don't think now would be the time to start doing that."

Few players understand the difficulty of reaching the postseason as much as Sale. Now that he has finally made it, he has a chance to leave his mark.

"It's what I'm here for," he said.

Just like he said before his last postseason start, seven long years ago.

Dustin Pedroia knew he'd be back for playoffs, despite nagging knee

Scott Lauber

HOUSTON -- It looks like a knee injury won't be enough to keep Dustin Pedroia out of Boston's American League Division Series lineup.

Pedroia started only 19 of the Red Sox's final 58 regular-season games and made two trips to the disabled list because of inflammation, swelling and soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. Even when he returned to the lineup at the beginning of September, the Red Sox did all they could to give the 34-year-old second baseman additional rest.

But on the eve of the AL Division Series, Pedroia insisted he never feared he would be unable to play in the postseason for a Red Sox team that always believed it would get there.

"I knew I would be in a position to help us here in this part of the year," he said, confidently as ever.

Pedroia's presence in the lineup for Game 1 on Thursday against the Astros wasn't always a given, though. As recently as last week, he missed back-to-back games against the Toronto Blue Jays because of a recurrence of the swelling in his knee. Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently said the situation will need to be managed for the duration of Pedroia's career.

Asked Tuesday about Pedroia's health, Red Sox manager John Farrell classified him as "healthy enough" -- hardly a confident diagnosis. And although the scheduled days off for travel during the postseason might help Pedroia recover more easily, the Red Sox are unsure enough about his ability to stay on the field that they are seriously considering carrying Deven Marrero on the playoff roster as an extra middle infielder.

"We have got some infield depth that we have to keep because of Pedey and Nunie [versatile infielder Eduardo Nunez, who is dealing with a sprained ligament in his right knee]," Farrell said. "Those are real and tangible things that we have to guard against."

Pedroia, the Red Sox's longest-tenured player, began having more trouble with his knee on April 21 in Baltimore, when Orioles slugger Manny Machado slid hard beyond second base with his spikes up. Pedroia missed only three games but continued to have problems with his knee, eventually succumbing to the disabled list on July 29.

When Pedroia tried to return 10 days later, his knee flared after only one game in which he served as the designated hitter. He went back on the disabled list and missed the next three weeks.

"I mean, it's part of the game," Pedroia said. "Obviously, I play a position where you hit the deck a lot. But mentally, you just try to just block that out, know it's a part of the game, try to come back and do all you can to help your teammates."

Pedroia credited the Red Sox's medical and training staffs for "a lot of work to get me ready." He prefers not to discuss the specifics of his conditioning program but has alluded to modifications that were made between his DL stints to help keep his knee as strong as possible in order to keep him ready for the postseason grind.

And now, that the grind is upon Pedroia, with his knee is about to be tested.

"The last couple of days off have helped him," Farrell said. "We know that this is a little bit of a situation that's ... it's a work in progress. Don't anticipate it really changing. I do know this: He is champing at the bit to begin this series and the postseason, and he'll be out there every available day."

* WEEI.com

Why Chris Sale can learn from Justin Verlander

Rob Bradford

HOUSTON -- You might have forgotten how good Justin Verlander was.

While the Red Sox ended up beating the pitcher's Detroit Tigers in the 2013 American League Championship Series before going on to grabbing their World Series title, it was a postseason where Verlander was other-wordly. In three starts during those playoffs, the righty allowed just one run -- a Mike Napoli solo homer -- in 23 innings, striking out 31 and walking three. That came one year after he managed a 2.22 ERA in for 2012 postseason starts.

But it shouldn't be ignored that it took Verlander two subpar trips to the playoffs -- 2006 and '11 -- before he figured it all out. Those postseason runs saw the starter boast ERAs over 5.00, without a hint of the dominance seen in '12 an '13.

So, what was the difference?

"Part of it was that he just overthrew at the time," said Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who served as the Tigers' general manager during those aforementioned Verlander postseason runs. "It wasn't that the pressure got to him, it was that he was so good he didn't pitch as much. Once he settled in and got his adrenaline settled in and had it in check in the big games, he started pitching very, very well."

It may serve as an important reminder for Chris Sale Thursday.

The Red Sox ace is making his first postseason start in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, and clearly is trying to reel in some of the excitement that might alter his approach.

"For me, just it's going to be hard not to but try not to put too much emphasis on it. Just try to treat this just like another game. You get a little amped up sometimes and that can kind of go crazy," Sale said. "So I'm going to just try to go out there and pitch my game and act like this is just another one along the way."

Perhaps the biggest difference between when Verlander was introduced to the postseason in 2006 and what Sale faces is experience leading up to the moment. Even though the then-Detroit starter won 17 games, he was just 23 years old in his first full season in the big leagues. Sale has seven full major league seasons under his belt.

"Enough people have talked to him," said Dombrowski when asked if he has passed on the advice learnd from Verlander to Sale. "Another difference is that Justin was younger. But that's one thing you have to guard against with some of these guys no matter who they are. [Verlander] was just a good pitcher. Once he got that in check … He always had the weapons to be successful, he just sometimes didn't keep his adrenaline in check like he needed to."

* CSNNE.com

Sandy Leon's firsthand look at Astros could benefit Chris Sale

Evan Drellich

HOUSTON — Chris Sale’s not into scouting reports. He prefers an empty mind over a head full of data and tendencies, and that’s not changing for Game 1 of the American League Division Series, his first career postseason start.

"I don't want to put any more emphasis on this than there already is," Sale said Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. "This is obviously playoff baseball, so it comes with a lot more attention. But for me I'm going to pitch the same game, I'm going to go out there and do the same things I've always done. I'm not going to reach for another avenue that I haven't reached for in my entire career. So I don't think now would be the time to start doing that."

Catcher Sandy Leon, who’s been with Sale for all but one start this year, on Thursday will handle the pre- game planning meeting with pitching coach Carl Willis and bullpen coach Dana LeVangie. Just like always.

This is where having some recent history with the Astros — but keeping Sale himself away from their view — can benefit the Sox.

"Sandy had the opportunity to catch against these guys this past weekend, so I think a lot of people talk about you know the awkwardness of us playing them right after we just played them and now it’s the playoffs," pitching coach Carl Willis said. "But I think it can allow us, and them to for that matter, to see each other. A lot of times seeing, experiencing it in person is a lot better than you know watching video.

"Our advance scouts do a tremendous job, but there’s nothing like seeing it on your own. We’ll sit down with Sandy as we always do. And I think that you know, the only thing that will be any different, we’ll be able to get a little more feedback from him as to what he saw and how Chris’ stuff will play against certain hitters, certain swings."

Both Sale and Willis think the extra rest in between starts — Sale had eight days off — should be a help.

"In September, you know, it’s been brought to our attention, it’s kind of like an every-other-start-type of thing, I do feel like," Willis said, referring to Sale’s inconsistent month. "He was prepared to pitch Sunday. But I feel like you know, not having to, and being able to get on the mound on Monday, fine tune things a little bit, you can’t help but to think that’s going to be a good thing."

Sox manager John Farrell did not announce a starter for Game 3, or any further roster choices.

Dustin Pedroia said the time off has helped. Eduardo Nunez’s usage hasn’t been determined yet. Both players were on the field going through what appeared a normal routine for Wednesday’s workout.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch expects his bullpen will have an Andrew Miller-like figure as well. Lance McCullers may be that guy. "It happens for every team that gets there. So who is our guy going to be, is it going to be Lance, does it become [Chris] Devenski, [Joe] Musgrove, [Brad] Peacock, [Charlie] Morton, I have no idea," Hinch said. "I don't care who it is. I care that somebody steps up and outperforms expectations in a role that they're not used to. Lance has every bit the weapon to get as many outs as he can. He's pitched in a playoff game before. Where we deem that the most important and what outs we think are going to be the most important is going to be discussed over the next couple days — or next day, communicated to him, and then I'll put him in there."

Gary DiSarcina honored to hear name mentioned as potential manager

Evan Drellich

HOUSTON — The Red Sox on Wednesday said a request has not been made at this point to speak with bench coach Gary DiSarcina about a potential managerial job. NBC Sports on Monday Philadelphia reported DiSarcina as being on “the early list of hot names” for the Phillies gig.

Even if now isn’t the time for DiSarcina, who’s from Billerica, his stock has risen through his first year in Boston (and his first year as a major league bench coach). Were he to depart, it’d be the second straight year the Sox lost a well-liked bench coach. DiSarcina replaced Torey Lovullo before this season.

“It's an honor to have it mentioned,” DiSarcina said, aware of chatter connecting him to the Phillies. “Especially a team like Philadelphia. I’ve known [general manager] Matt Klentak since my time with the Angels, going back five, six years ago. … You’re still so focused on where you are now. I’m so happy to be here. At the same time, it’s good that other people notice your work and other people notice you and want to talk to you and stuff.

“It’s hard to really think about [the potential for an interview], because you’re so focused on the Red Sox and getting through this series and moving on, accomplishing our final goal here. But it definitely is exciting, it’s an honor. It’s something if it happens, great, 'cause a lot of times your name comes up in a paper where teams like you, and they want to interview you. But it just doesn’t happen because they find someone else who’s a better fit.”

Sox manager John Farrell fully expects DiSarcina to be on the interview circuit. DiSarcina interviewed to be the Mariners skipper ahead of the 2014 season.

“It’d be great if he has an opportunity,” Farrell said Wednesday. “He’s got a great way to connect with players. He sees the field and the game great. He’s got front office experience to understand what goes into building a roster. Just a really, really good baseball guy.

“I would anticipate with his resume, how he interacts with people, got a great way with people, I would fully expect he would be a candidate.”

DiSarcina appreciates the interview process because of the self-reflection involved. You have to think back on how you got to where you are, and the people who helped and your philosophies.

DiSarcina said coming back to the Sox — he was with the Sox last as Triple-A Pawtucket’s manager in 2013 before joining the Angels — has showed him a different side of Red Sox Nation, one you can’t know unless you’re on the inside.

“The good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between,” DiSarcina said, noting a newfound appreciation for the American League East's competitiveness. “I had a little flashback when we clinched and we were running [to the field on Saturday]. The coaches kind of walk out there, they don’t run out there. And the guys were jumping up and down on each other, and I had a flashback to our first day of camp and being on the field for the first time and just kind of addressing the team, letting them know what the schedule was that day.

"Seeing all the same faces, at the beginning of the journey and to accomplish goal No. 1 and step No. 1 with this organization, it’s been — the only word I can come up with — it’s been awesome.”

If a request comes in, when would DiSarcina interview? Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said if time allows, interviews can be conducted by other teams during the postseason.

“It’s very dependent on where you are, your playoffs,” Dombrowski said. “I’ve allowed guys to talk between series at times. But it really just depends. If you got one day between series, then the answer is, you wait.”

* The Boston Sports Journal

Breaking down the Astros: A veteran scout details his thoughts on Houston

Sean McAdam

The Red Sox just saw the Astros, up close and personal, for four games last week. But we thought we’d take a deeper dive and provide a more detailed look at the Red Sox’ ALDS opponents.

We spoke with a veteran major league scout for his impressions of the Astros’ roster.

POSITION PLAYERS:

CF/RF GEORGE SPRINGER: “Not your prototypical leadoff man, but it works for them. It’s a nice weapon to have 30 homers at the top of the lineup. … He’s a big strong, physical kid. He’s an aggressive hitter. He can swing out of his shoes at times. When he’s on time with his swing and gets the bat out front, he can hit it a long way. He’s a good mistake hitter. You can get him out with good breaking balls; he loves the fastball. If you let him, he can get himself out with pitches out of the zone.”

3B ALEX BREGMAN: “He’s really come on in the second half. There’s some pop in his bat. He’s got a real short, compact swing. He’s made himself a pretty good third baseman, considering he was drafted as a shortstop. It’s funny – he doesn’t strike out in excess, but he doesn’t walk a lot either. Teams try to get him out with stuff away, especially with breaking balls. But I’ve seen him shoot the ball the other way. If you go inside on him, you better get in there hard.’’

2B JOSE ALTUVE: “He’s an MVP-caliber player. He does everything — hits for average, for power, steals bases. He’s tough to strike out, because he has great bat-to-ball skills. He’s kind of the energizer for them – he makes things happen. He can handle location, velocity. He’s just a good hitter. I’ve seen him hit balls down low and I’ve seen him tomahawk pitches way up in the zone. He’s a good bad ball hitter. He’s ultra-aggressive, and is up there to hack. Sometimes, you can get him to chase sliders off the plate.’’

SS CARLOS CORREA: “He’s just one of those young, dynamic players, and he’s getting better every year. He’s got a chance to be an elite player. He uses the whole field as a hitter and he’s got power in every direction. At short, he doesn’t have great range, but he’s a guy who can make plays he supposed to. Every once in a while, he’ll make a play in the hole or behind the bag. Because he’s big tall guy, he likes the ball out over the plate where he can extend.’’

OF JOSH REDDICK: “He’s learned to become a better hitter. He used to be just a power bat, but now he’s sacrificed some power for improved contact. He uses the whole field. He plays with a lot of energy. There’s still some pop at the plate. He tends to like the ball down, so if you can get a slider underneath his hands or at his back foot, that can tie him up. He’s still an above-average defender. He can play either corner and can still throw. Of all the additions they made last season, he was the best. He’s a veteran presence and he’s helped lengthen their lineup. He’s not necessarily a plus runner, but he knows how to take a bag.’’

C BRIAN McCANN: “He’s dangerous at the bottom of the lineup. He can adjust and go the other way, but usually, he’s looking to pull. Defensively, he doesn’t move as well. Really has to have everything just right to throw out a runner. His release time (to second base on throws) is 2.0 or better. He doesn’t get rid of it as well as he used to. He still works well with the staff, but he’s just a fringe-average receiver. With guys who have late movement, he’ll box a few balls around. He doesn’t shift or block (balls) like he once did. He provides presence in the lineup and clubhouse.’’

DH CARLOS BELTRAN: “Age is catching up to him, no doubt. He doesn’t have much defensive value anymore; he just doesn’t have the range. His value is more in the clubhouse and in dugout. The bat has slowed down. You see him having to cheat a bit to get starter. He’s always been stronger from the left side. He’s still got an easy swing, and good rhythm and timing. But the bat speed isn’t what it used to be.’’

C/DH EVAN GATTIS: “He’s a big strong brute. He doesn’t strike out as much as he once did, but his power has dipped too, which is strange. But he’s dangerous – he can hurt you with one swing of the bat. He likes to chase the ball up. Teams throw him fastballs up, above the zone and breaking stuff off the plate. If you get ahead, you can expand on him with breaking balls. He’s not real mobile (behind the plate); he’s just a functional receiver.’’

1B YULI GURRIEL: “He can hit. He swings at everything; he’s not looking to walk. He makes a lot of contact, but it’s not always hard because he’s hitting balls out of the zone. He’s got great hand-eye coordination. You don’t have to throw him strikes. He’s got a long, whippy-type of bat. Defensively, he’s done a good job moving to first base, and has shown improved footwork.’’

OF/IF MARWIN GONZALEZ: “He’s the best utility guy in baseball, I think. You can play him somewhere every day. He doesn’t run well or have great range, but he catches everything he gets to. As a hitter, he’s better from the left side. That’s where most of his power and production comes from. He’s become a much better hitter. A good approach is to double or triple up on off-speed stuff, then give him something hard above the hands. He’s got a different set-ups from both sides, but maintains both swings.”

OF CAMERON MAYBIN : “He’s flexible as a defender. He can play all three and he can still handle center field. He’s a good base stealer. As a hitter, he’s more of line-drive guy with a little gap power. He can handle stuff out over the plate, so you’ve got to be careful.’’

OF DEREK FISHER: “He’s a young guy, real ‘toolsy.’ He’s played all three outfield spots, but he’s better in the corners. For a big kid, he can run. I’ve got him as a plus-runner down the line. He’s streaky as a hitter, because the timing isn’t always there. He rolls his hands at times and that causes him to miss more than he should. Lefties give him trouble with breaking balls.’’

STARTING PITCHERS

RHP JUSTIN VERLANDER: “He’s throwing like a true No. 1 again. I saw his last two starts and he was terrific. When he’s dealing strikes like that, he’s tough to hit. His fastball can be anywhere from 92-98 mph, and when he needs more, he’ll get more. He can hit every quadrant, and the fastball has late life in the zone He’s got the plus slider, which is also a swing-and-miss pitch. It’s got late action, power and is sharp. He’ll get it under the hands of a lefty and break it down-and-away to a righty. He’s still got a curveball to give you a different look and it’s still above-average. He’ll throw a changeup to lefties to keep them off the fastball, but it’s more of a show pitch. He can be a difference-maker. That’s what they needed at the top of that rotation.’’

LHP DALLAS KEUCHEL: ‘’He’s a great touch-and-feel guy, like a left-handed version of (Greg) Maddux. He’s got great pitch ability. He throws on the edges and commands everything he throws. When the umpire is giving him the outside edge, it’s going to be a long night. He’s got the extreme ground ball rate and the fastball has good run and sink. He’s got a good slider, cutter and change, so he has four pitches he can paint with. He’s also a great fielder and has a good move to first.’’

RHP BRAD PEACOCK: “He’s made himself a pretty good pitcher. The fastball isn’t overpowering, but he locates it well. His real out pitch is a late, ‘slurvy’ breaking ball — a low 80’s slider with late break and depth and bite. That’s his go-to pitch. He’ll sprinkle in a curve and change, but he’s mostly fastball-slider.’’

RHP CHARLIE MORTON: “I saw him in spring training and he was 95-98 mph with his fastball, and I saw his last start, and he was still 95-97 mph. He’s also got a curveball, cutter and changeup. It’s a power four-pitch mix. He’s got a pretty good feel, but he’s had trouble staying healthy.’’

RHP LANCE McCULLERS Jr. (likely in bullpen): “When he’s healthy, he’s got the best stuff of all. He’s got a terrific knuckle-curve that’s a real swing-and-miss pitch. His fastball is 94-98, and he’s got an unbelievable change with late action. From a pure stuff standpoint, he’s got the best on this staff and he competes like you wouldn’t believe. He’s got filthy stuff, he’s aggressive and he’s got good mound presence.’’

RELIEF PITCHERS

RHP KEN GILES (closer): “He finished up strong; I don’t think he blew a save in his last 25 opportunities. He’s primarily a two-pitch guy: a power fastball with limited life and a slider. The slider is his go-to pitch.”

RHP CHRIS DEVENSKI: “He’s a life-saver for the bullpen. He can handle any role — the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth. It doesn’t make any difference to him. He can give you multiple innings with a mid-90s fastball with a changeup as good as there is in the game. In fact, I’d say he had the best changeup I saw all this year.’’

RHP LUKE GREGORSON: “It’s been a bit of a down year for him. He’s a sinker-slider guy, with the slider being his best pitch. He’s much more effective against righties than lefties. He hasn’t had the same command or quality of sink this year. That’s why his numbers aren’t as good. He knows how to get outs, but he’s not as efficient as he’s been in the past.’’

RHP WILL HARRIS: “He’s their seventh-inning guy, and he features a cutter, which he throws 90-93 mph. He’s also got a nice 12-6 curve, which he throws with some power.’’

LHP FRANCISCO LIRIANO: (No scout comments) Liriano was obtained at the deadline and pitched out of the bullpen in the final two months. Veteran with some post-season experience, but performance has faltered this year and he didn’t not adapt well to the shift to a relief role.

LHP TONY SIPP: (No scout comments) Sipp had been a mainstay for the Astros in recent years, but had his worst season this year. Also known as one of the slowest-working pitchers in the game.

Last-minute roster and rotation decisions still to be made; Pedroia as Sox’ elder stateman in playoffs; Verlander on Sox.

Sean McAdam

HOUSTON – As is their habit in such matters, the Red Sox don’t intend to reveal anything about their final roster for the ALDS until they absolutely have to. Rosters must be submitted Thursday morning, and the Sox intend to take every last minute before making their decisions public.

“We’re still working through a number of the individual conversations,’’ said John Farrell. “We won’t have anything further until (Thursday) morning.’’

Farrell again reiterated that there will be some tough calls and difficult discussions in informing players they won’t be part of the roster.

“They can be very difficult,’’ acknowledged Farrell, “particularly when you’ve got a player who’s been a contributor all of this year, or the past couple of years. All you can try to do is be as candid and honest and forthright as possible with the reasons that might go into a roster decision. You have full respect for who they are as a person and what they’ve done here.

“And yet some of that might entail (going with) the hot hand, so to speak. Or, in our case, we’ve got some infield depth that we have to keep because of (the uncertain physical conditions of both Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez). Those are real (tangible) things we have to guard against.’’

The Sox still have not announced their choice to start Game 3, but the manager hinted that a decision was drawing nearer.

“I think we’re getting closer to that,’’ he said. “But that’s all part of the conversations that are ongoing.’’

******

Justin Verlander draws the Game 1 assignment for the Astros against the Red Sox, a team he hasn’t faced since June, when he was pitching for Detroit. “I think they have a very talented lineup, from top to bottom,’’ Verlander said. “I’m going to have to be on my toes the whole game, however long I’m out there. You just go out there and pick your pitches – that’s what it comes down to as a starting pitcher. You’ve got to make your pitches and in the playoffs, it’s a little bit different, I think, than in certain regular season games where you really kind of focus on getting as deep as possible into the game.

“In these games, it’s stay out there as long as you can without letting up runs. Whether it’s five, six or nine (innings), I think the runs are of utmost importance. But this (Red Sox) lineup presents a lot of difficulties. They don’t strike out a lot, they put the bat on the ball and any of them can do damage at any time. They can all run well. They’re here for a season. And good pitching beats good hitting, though, and I just need to focus on making my pitches and hopefully come out successful.

******

The last time the Red Sox reached the post-season, David Ortiz was the face of the franchise. Now, with Ortiz in retirement, second baseman Dustin Pedroia is the longest-tenured member of the team, and the de facto leader.

“David was there for a long time and it was weird at the beginning,’’ said Pedroia. “But we’ve gone through a whole season without him. Our team has formed its own identity. We’re not really focused on that. We’re focused on trying to compete and win games together. We’re not thinking about anything else.’’

Pedroia has played 47 post-games – the equivalent of nearly a third of a regular-season schedule – and is well-versed on what to expect.

“It’s about anything you can do to help the team win,’’ said Pedroia. “It doesn’t matter if you lead off the game and have a 15-pitch at-bat and you strike out. You’re 0-for-1 in the box score, but that at-bat is crucial to helping your team win. That’s what it’s about. It doesn’t matter about anything else. It’s about doing anything you can, little thing-wise – backing up bases, doing one more thing than the other team to help you win a game. That’s the playoffs.’’

Pedroia said the young core of teammates – Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts – got their indoctrination a year ago in the post-season and will be ready for it this time.

“I think last year was a good learning experience for a lot of the guys who went through losing in the playoffs,’’ said Pedroia. “That’s what you push for during the year. You look at the great teams and they make their own breaks. “It’s the same game. It’s just you’ve got to come in the media room and talk before games, and you have practice days – things like that. But it’s the same game. You just have to find a way to be one run better than the other team.’’

******

Farrell suggested the Sox will likely stay with Xander Bogaerts as their leadoff hitter in the post-season. Bogaerts moved to the top spot in mid-September with both Nunez and Pedroia – two other possibilities – battled injuries and performed well in that spot.

“That would be the intent,’’ said Farrell. “He’s responded well. We’re seeing much more consistent, hard contact. So right now, that’s the thought.’’

Farrell further added that the Sox will keep the same battery combinations they utilized during the season, meaning Sandy Leon would catch Chris Sale in Game 1.

As Chris Sale prepares for his postseason debut, confidence is justifiably high

Sean McAdam

HOUSTON — Games like the one set to be played Thursday afternoon at Minute Maid Park are the reason Chris Sale is a member of the Red Sox.

That’s not to minimize what Sale accomplished in his first regular season with the Red Sox, a year that saw him lead the majors in innings pitched and strikeouts. His 32 starts – during which the Red Sox as a team went 22-10 – were big contributing factors in the club winning the American League East.

The regular season isn’t merely the first course. But the Red Sox have championship aspirations, and their goals don’t end when the regular season does. To the contrary, they envision and expect a long run into October.

In that sense, Sale has been working toward Thursday’s start from the start of spring training.

“A lot of hard work goes into this,’’ said Sale on the eve of his playoff debut. “The ups and downs of the season, the battle, the travel and all this other stuff. So to be sitting here right now is pretty fulfilling.’’

You can count the number of true No. 1 starters in baseball on perhaps two hands. But that might constitute a different list than the number of true, playoff-tested aces. There’s Corey Kluber, Sale’s chief competition for the Cy Young Award. There’s Madison Bumgarner. And there’s old friend Jon Lester.

The rest? The game is littered with top-of-the-rotation starters who haven’t been able to carry their regular season excellence into the post-season. Clayton Kershaw has undoubtedly been baseball’s best starter over the last seven or so seasons, but his post-season ERA (4.55) is almost double his regular season ERA (2.36).

Sale need look no further than across the Red Sox clubhouse to find another example: David Price has won a Cy Young award, finished second another time and sports a .651 winning percentage. But in nine post- season starts, he’s yet to win a game and his post-season ERA is an unsightly 5.74 those outings.

Translation: there are no guarantees.

Regular season excellence is no assurance of post-season dominance. But there’s something about Sale’s demeanor that leaves you with the notion that he’s different than Price. On Wednesday, Sale was equal parts relaxed and determined.

“To me, it’s going to be hard not to, but (I’ll) try not to put too much emphasis on it and try to treat this just like another game,’’ Sale said. “You get a little amped up sometimes and you kind of go crazy. So I’m trying to just go out there and pitch my game and act like this is just another one along the way.’’

Admittedly, that might be easier said than done. Sale understands the pressure that comes with drawing a Game 1 assignment – even if he’s never made one before. The Red Sox’ rotation is uncertain after Game 2 starter Drew Pomeranz, and based on their most recent efforts, neither Eduardo Rodriguez nor Rick Porcello can be counted on as a sure thing.

But even as Sale realizes a long-held goal of getting to be part of a playoff team, there’s a sense that the last thing he needs is to allow the moment to overwhelm him.

Again, no guarantees exist, but his manager seemed to harbor little doubt that Sale is eminently capable of pitching as well in October as he habitually does from April through September.

“I think (this stage) somewhat compares the way he came into Boston following the trade (from Chicago last December),’’ said John Farrell. “He handled it without it being a distraction, he handled with a consistency to his routine and being true to himself and who he is as a performer, as a pitcher.

“I would venture to say, knowing Chris the person, that the same approach will be applied (Thursday) and I think the beauty of Chris Sale is that he focuses solely on the things that he can control – something as a simple as commanding the count. Strike one. Keeping it pretty much to the basics.

“He’s done such an excellent job of that, coming in with all the expectations and the (attention) from the trade. He’s handled it beautifully. And I would suspect this stage, this next set of games he’s going to experience for the first time, will be handled the same way.’’

Indeed, Sale confirmed as much. He’s not one to bury himself in scouting reports during the season, preferring to take the mound with uncluttered mind, and Wednesday, he confirmed that will be his approach in the playoffs, too.

Why change what’s worked in the past? Why deviate from the norm?

Of course, the post-season isn’t the same as the regular season. But if treating it as such works for Sale, that’s fine, too.

A year ago, the pitcher upon whom the Sox had lavished $217 million executed a belly flop in his first post-season start. On Thursday, the pitcher for whom the Sox dealt off their two best prospects gets his turn.

Here’s betting the results are better, which, admittedly, isn’t as a high bar to clear.

* The Houston Chronicle

Red Sox ace Chris Sale: 'I'm throwing until my arm falls off'

David Barron

Chris Sale, Boston's Game 1 starter, said he will be ready to come back on three days' rest if the Red Sox need him to do so later in the series.

"Three days' rest? I'm in," Sale said. "This is what I live for. I'm throwing until my arm falls off."

Sale, who last pitched Sept. 26, said he threw a more intense bullpen session than usual last week but otherwise isn't doing anything different to prepare for his first career playoff start.

Red Sox manager John Farrell said that attention to routine has been a hallmark of Sale's season since he came to Boston in a December 2016 trade with the White Sox.

"The beauty inside of Chris Sale is that he focuses solely on the things that he can control, something as simple as command in the count," Farrell said. "He's done such an excellent job of that coming in with all the expectations and the highlight from the trade. He's handled it beautifully."

Red Sox injury report: Dustin Pedroia ready for Game 1

David Barron

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia continues to battle with inflammation in his left knee but said he benefited from days off and is ready for Game 1.

"A lot of hard work from our training staff and strength coaches and everybody to get me ready, so I'm excited," Pedroia said.

Added Red Sox manager John Farrell: "He's healthy enough. I think the last couple of days have helped him."

Boston also expects to have available infielder Eduardo Nunez, who aggravated an existing injury to his right knee last week but took part in Monday and Tuesday workouts while wearing a knee brace.

"There's some thought to how we get him at-bats, how we get him on the field," Farrell said. "... We were able to test him (Tuesday) in a number of different ways, including sliding, running at full speed. He was able to accomplish all that."

The Red Sox have yet to name a Game 3 starter, which Farrell said was one of several "conversations that are ongoing."