Sale (1-6) took the loss Friday as the Red Sox were downed 4-3 by the Astros, allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out five.
Shaky defense by Boston was the difference in the game, as the team committed three errors behind Sale. The southpaw wasn't particularly sharp, throwing 56 of 89 pitches for strikes and whiffing fewer than eight batters for the first time in over a month, but he still delivered his sixth quality start of the year. Sale will try to find his way back into the win column Wednesday, at home against Cleveland.