Feeling better, Chris Sale ready to make next start for Red Sox

HOUSTON -- Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora says Chris Sale is set to make his next start, lining up the lefty ace for a potential AL Championship Series clincher or World Series opener.

Cora said before Game 5 against Houston on Thursday that Sale threw off flat ground again earlier in the day and was feeling better since the stomach illness that led to him spending a night in a hospital.

"So he's ready for his next start," Cora said.

The next Red Sox game will be home in Fenway Park, either Game 6 against the Astros on Saturday or the World Series opener on Tuesday.

Boston leads Houston 3-1 in the best-of-seven ALCS.

Sale has been regaining strength since his release Monday from Massachusetts General Hospital, where he spent Sunday night for observation.

The club hasn't specified Sale's ailment or treatment.