White Sox manager Robin Ventura confirmed what everyone had already assumed Wednesday, naming ace lefty Chris Sale the club’s Opening Day starter according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
Sale, the obvious choice for Ventura, boasts a spectacular 2.97 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 in 500 2/3 career major league innings. He tossed a career-high 214 1/3 frames in 2013 and finished fifth in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
Sale will probably be followed in the White Sox starting rotation by Jose Quintana, John Danks, Erik Johnson, and then Felipe Paulino. In HardballTalk’s 2014 season preview for the Pale Hose, Aaron Gleeman predicted a fifth-place (dead last) finish in the American League Central standings.
Chicago opens its regular-season schedule March 31 against the Twins.
