Chris Sale's Season-Ending Injury Sends Red Sox Rotation Into Further Chaos Down the Stretch

Don't be deceived by the headline, folks. We'll be the first to admit that Chris Sale has been (or was) genuinely putrid for the Boston Red Sox in 2019. And when you consider the $145 million contract they threw his way in the offseason, his struggles look even worse.

However, the left-handed flamethrower showed that he was still more than capable of tossing a gem every now and then throughout the campaign. In other words, Sale's season-ending injury -- even considering his woes -- will be a significant obstacle for manager Alex Cora and Co. to overcome as they push for the second AL Wild Card spot.

The Sox currently sit at 67-59, which sees them 6.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays (73-52). Making up that kind of ground with roughly a month left in the regular season was already a damning task. Without the club's ace, it becomes even more pressing.

Former Cy Young Rick Porcello has been even worse than Sale in 2019, logging a 5.49 ERA and 1.407. Eduardo Rodriguez has unquestionably been the rotation's most imposing arm as he's contributed 14 wins to help the cause. However, his era -- 4.10 is exceptionally ordinary.

That leaves Nathan Eovaldi and his 6.69 ERA through 36.1 innings and Brian Johnson's 2.015 WHIP across 22.1 frames.

Yuck.

We don't have to tell you just how rancid those numbers are. Okay, maybe we did. The fact of the matter is that Boston buffs should be feeling exceptionally queasy following today's news concerning Sale. The chaos scale is (somehow) about to increase ten-fold.