Chris Sale survived against the Tigers, but to regain his status as Red Sox ace he’ll have to rediscover his slider

© Carlos Osorio Chris Sale’s erratic slider will be his make-or-break pitch early this season.

DETROIT — When Chris Sale exited the visitors’ clubhouse Thursday following the Red Sox’ 6-3 win over the Tigers, he paused briefly to chat with one of the longtime security guards at Comerica Park.

“Thank you,” Sale said, acknowledging a worker who can sometimes go unnoticed.

“No problem,” the security guard responded. “Enjoy your off day.”

“Oh, I will. I’m going to be watching the Masters,” replied Sale.

Sale had just turned in a far-from-masterful performance against the Tigers, navigating five innings, striking out seven, and walking three, which led to three runs. All three walks came on four pitches, two back-to-back to open the first.

“I don’t think I’ve ever thrown eight straight balls in my life,” Sale said of that first inning. “That was definitely interesting.”

Sale prevailed, scuffling his way through five innings and ultimately notching his first win since Oct. 3, 2021. Manager Alex Cora emerged with optimism about his lefthander, who hasn’t pitched consistently since the 2019 season due to a number of injuries, including Tommy John surgery.

That Sale survived is credit to his experience as a top-tier starter, his competitive nature, and a little bit of help from his coaching staff and teammates.

Much of the Sox’ season hinges on what Sale can give them. Even though they are set to get some reinforcements soon in Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello, and James Paxton, it’s clear the rotation lacks a bona fide ace.

In a perfect Red Sox world that would be Sale. But compounding his lack of command, Sale’s velocity was down, too, close to 1.5 miles per hour on all of his pitches.

The key for Sale is his slider. At times during the spring, you could see him trying to find his feel for the pitch. Two starts into the season that still appears to be the case. When Sale is at his best, he is able to bury that pitch at a righthanded hitter’s back foot. That’s still the case, in some respect, with Sale registering six of his 13 strikeouts this year on sliders in that location, per Baseball Savant.

Nevertheless, his slider, at least Thursday, had a tendency to stay middle-middle. Good hitters — not the Tigers — will time that up. That diminishes the fastball, and as a result, the overall stuff.

It’s still early. Sale’s masterful days might be behind him. Or, maybe he has a bit more life in him.

Hernández and outfield

At the start of spring, Kiké Hernández was asked what would be the key difference between center field and shortstop. Hernández, sarcastically and snarkily, noted that in center you get more fly balls and shortstop you get more ground balls.

Yet Hernández forgot to account for the throws from shortstop, too.

In six starts, Hernández is tied for the league lead in errors with three (all throwing).

He’s a sure-handed fielder, certainly, who is good at attacking balls to his left. Yet when Hernández is forced right to make a play in the hole, that’s where it can get tricky. Hernández’s arm, while solid, doesn’t come with the quick, firm throw that’s common among shortstops. He has an over-the-top release which takes time to develop. In the outfield, that can work.

But in the infield, it can be a problem, especially when taking into account the lack of shifts.

With Hernández at shortstop instead of center, Boston’s defense has suffered. Adam Duvall, 34, has been forced into the everyday role in center and hasn’t looked comfortable on plays at the wall at Fenway Park.

Hernández proved himself to be a solid center fielder in 2021 and the Sox’ outfield defense suffered when he went down with a hip injury in 2022. Heading into Friday, the Sox defense ranked last in defensive runs saved (minus-10). That, of course, doesn’t fall solely on Hernández. That would be unfair.

But this much is clear: The Sox need Trevor Story to come back healthy and command shortstop if they’re going to make a run.

“It feels like riding a bike,” Hernández said during Winter Weekend in January. “And I mean this in the most humble way possible.”

So far, it’s been more like mounting a motorcycle.