White Sox pitcher Chris Sale to see action in All-Star Game
— -- Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale will take the mound during the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, American League manager Ned Yost said Monday.
Yost, appearing on Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio on Monday morning, said he ironed out a plan with White Sox manager Robin Ventura, who had said Sunday that he would prefer that his left-hander not pitch in the Midsummer Classic.
"I'm going to pitch him; I've talked to Robin," Yost said on Mike & Mike. "We're OK. He's definitely going to pitch in the game."
Sale, appearing in his fourth All-Star Game, threw 115 pitches over seven innings Saturday in leading the White Sox to a victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Yost said he's talked to Ventura and came to an agreement that Sale would pitch one inning on Tuesday night. The AL manager also said he's talked to other pitching coaches from around the AL to gauge preferences on how each pitcher is used.
"We get a pretty good parameter of what they want us to do, and we just kind of abide by it," Yost told Mike & Mike. "I think it's important.
"If i sent one of my pitchers to an All-Star team and I say, 'OK, this is what I'd like you to do: Go ahead and use him but don't abuse him.' I would expect them to do it, and I'm going to do the same thing. I'm going to respect each organization. I'm going to respect each pitcher. and make sure we don't do anything over the top."
After fracturing a bone in his right foot and getting off to a slow start, Sale has been on fire since a May 12 start at Milwaukee, going 6-3 with a 1.76 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 12 starts since then.
Yost said he'd treat Sale's outing as a between-starts bullpen session, but Sale hasn't done a lot of those this season as he's averaged 114 pitches in in his last 12 starts.
On Sunday, Ventura had said that he would prefer Sale not pitch.
"He is [our only representative]," Ventura said. "But I also want him to pitch for us for the rest of the year, too."
In an interesting aside, Sale is an option to start next Sunday against Yost's Kansas City Royals. If Sale pitches, Ventura said he might consider moving Sale to the following series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
"If it were up to me, quite frankly, I'd probably pitch Chris six or seven innings because we open up with them (after the All-Star break)," Yost joked Monday. "But I don't think I could get away with that."
Sale has combined for four innings over his three All-Star appearances, striking out four batters. He pitched in the 2013 game and worked two scoreless innings, earning the victory. He gave up a run in relief during last year's game.
Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com contributed to this report.
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