Robin Ventura prefers Chris Sale not pitch in All-Star Game

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he prefers that pitcher Chris Sale not pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star game

Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura said he prefers that pitcher Chris Sale not pitch in Tuesday’s All-Star game, according to TheChicago Tribune.

Sale threw 115 pitches in seven innings in 5-1 win on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs after he was chosen as an American League All-Star for the fourth time in his career.

Ventura said that he would want to keep Sale from pitching in the game, even though he is the team’s only All-Star.

"I also want him to pitch for us for the rest of the year too," Ventura said, according to TheChicago Tribune.

On Monday, American League manager Ned Yost told ESPN's Mike & Mike that Sale will pitch in the game.

"I'm going to pitch him; I've talked to Robin," Yost said. "We're OK. He's definitely going to pitch in the game."

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Ventura says Sale throwing a sideline session is different from throwing against a lineup of All-Stars.

"That's always a touchy thing, but knowing him, he's pitching on three days, he hasn't done a lot between starts," Ventura said, according to The Chicago Tribune. "That's a lot to ask of a guy, and you know he's going to crank it up."

Sale said that it is not his decision on whether to pitch in the All-Star Game and that he understands Ventura's opinion. 

“I respect it,” Sale said. “I've got to put this team first and foremost. This is the team I'm playing for and that I have a future with.

“I've enjoyed pitching in the past. I would like to. But at the same time, that's a decision for him to make. He's going to make the right one,” he added.

Sale, 26, is 8-4 in 18 starts this season with a 2.72 ERA and is second in Major League Baseball with 157 strikeouts.

Chicago, which has missed the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, is tied for last place in the American League Central.

- Scooby Axson