Expect a "fairly normal" day Thursday for White Sox left-hander Chris Sale, his manager says.
Other than Sale is 1) returning from a five-day suspension after going Edward Scissorhands on Sox uniforms; 2) facing the cross-town rival Cubs; and 3) the subject of trade-deadline rumors (as he has been for weeks).
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Still, manager Robin Ventura said he expects the usual Sale (14-3, 3.18 ERA) for the 8:05 p.m. ET finale of the City Series.
“I think it’s going to be fine,” Ventura told reporters (via the Chicago Tribune). “Players always have their teammates’ backs, and that’s no different with our clubhouse. It’s going to be fairly normal, as far as he’s going to be prepared to pitch and our guys are going to prepare to play and it’s going to go from there.”
For his part, Sale says he missed being with his teammates for five days but doesn't regret the notion behind or the act of cutting up the uniforms, which earned him the suspension that ends Thursday — a day he says will be like any other when he takes the ball.
"I'm going to show up on Thursday and do what I've always done," Sale said (via MLB.com). "That's get ready to play baseball and put everything I got into winning that game."
That won’t exactly be an easy task — he faces a Cubs offense that awakened with three homers in Wednesday’s 8-1 victory — but first he faces his teammates, who Sox right fielder Adam Eaton says will welcome him back with "open arms."
“He’s our teammate. He’s our guy,” Eaton said. “All of the things that are swelling around about his character, who he is as a player, he’s my brother and I enjoy every second with him on and off the field. He can’t be a better person.
“I’ll be excited to see him, and I’m sure he’ll be in the same form he’s been the entire year. He’ll go out and perform and be Chris Sale.”
