Chris Sale showed a startling loss of command and velocity in his Game 1 start

Chris Sale was pulled after four innings, in which he threw 86 pitches.The Boston Globe

Get the best Red Sox coverage right to your inbox throughout the playoffs

One day after Chris Sale declared that he faced no physical limitations in his start against the Astros in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, the Red Sox ace didn’t back the claim in a four-inning start against the Astros. Though he gave up just two runs on one hit, the lefthander showed both significantly reduced stuff and a startling loss of the strike zone in a highly uncharacteristic outing.

Sale worked around a leadoff walk to George Springer to pitch a scoreless first inning, but after two quick outs to open the second, the quality of his pitches eroded rapidly. Sale — who averaged 94.6 miles per hour in his ALDS start against the Yankees — combined diminished fastball velocity (92.0 m.p.h. on his four-seamer) with an inability to land his slider for strikes in the second and third innings. The combination left him without putaway weapons, with the result that Sale walked No. 7 hitter Carlos Correa, hit No. 8 hitter Martin Maldonado, and walked No. 9 hitter Josh Reddick.

Related: Instant Analysis: Game 1 loss exposed lingering concerns that still haunt Red Sox

With the bases loaded and two outs, Springer fouled off a pair of two-strike fastballs while working the count to 3-2. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Springer scorched a two-run single under the glove of third baseman Eduardo Nunez. Though Sale escaped the frame by getting a Jose Altuve groundout, the 34-pitch inning was sufficiently taxing — and a deep enough struggle — that it forced the Red Sox to warm up reliever Joe Kelly.

Sale then walked Alex Bregman to open the third inning — his fourth walk of the game, tying his most in any outing of his Red Sox career. Though Bregman was caught stealing and Sale settled to retire the final five batters he faced — including the last two by strikeout — there were plenty of markers that not only left the Red Sox in a 2-0 hole at the time of Sale’s departure but that raise other questions about whether Sale is healthy and able to pitch to his capabilities moving forward.

Sale got just six swings-and-misses among his 86 offerings and the Astros fouled off 16 two-strike pitches. His fastball velocity was not merely well short of his standards but below major league average — though it is worth noting that Sale has dialed back his fastball in other cold-weather starts. His difficulty throwing the slider in the strike zone (he threw a relatively modest 16 of 29 for strikes, a 55 percent rate) permitted the Astros not to chase it, thus forcing him to labor through his four innings rather than being able to punch out Houston’s hitters.

Sale’s arsenal was in some ways similar to what he featured in his final start of the regular season against the Orioles — the outing that created clouds of doubt over his entry into the postseason. His Game 1 outing will likewise create an uncertain forecast for his next appearance of the postseason.