No plans to give White Sox' Sale extra rest: Cooper

BALTIMORE – For now, there is no plan to give Chris Sale an extra rest.

The White Sox ace got an abbreviated one in his abbreviated start Tuesday by throwing only 75 pitches and getting lifted after four innings trailing the Orioles 4-0. Although his two-seam fastball averaged around 90 mph, he was able to reach back for 94 and he said he felt good.

He just had a bad night.

“Babe Ruth had a bad freaking day once in while,” pitching coach Don Cooper said.

“With all the questions on Chris and health and everything that’s gone on… every time he has a bad outing these questions are going to come up? Ooh. Can he have a tough game?”

Cooper noticed that Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver and Stephen Strasburg had sub-par to rough games Tuesday as well. CC Sabathia had a bad game Wednesday.

“We’re in a pennant race and we’re going to go for it and we’re going to run him out there,” Cooper said. “If more happens later that makes us think we need to give him an extra day or two we might do it but right now that’s not on our minds.”

Sale (15-5) has a 3.90 ERA since he received a 12-day rest after the All-Star break.