BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox said Sunday night that ace left-hander Chis Sale has a stomach illness and will spend the night in the hospital.

The Red Sox made the announcement in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the AL Championship Series against Houston.

Boston said Sale reported the illness earlier in the day and was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital. He will be held overnight for observation.

Sale struggled with his control in Boston’s 7-2 loss to the Astros in the series opener Saturday night. He allowed two runs with four walks and a hit batter in four innings despite giving up just one hit.

Sale picked up the win in Game 1 of the series against the Yankees when he pitched into the sixth inning. He also threw a perfect eighth inning in the clincher at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.

Sale missed nearly six weeks, making just one start, from late July into September with mild left shoulder inflammation before he worked his way back into the rotation with four starts in September.

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RED SOX MANAGER Alex Cora shuffled his lineup for Game 2, putting infielders Ian Kinsler and Rafael Devers and catcher Christian Vazquez in the starting lineup for the first time in the series.

Devers was batting sixth and playing third base in place of Eduardo Nunez, who had a fielding error and let a two-run single go by him in the Game 1 loss. Kinsler was batting seventh in place of Brock Holt, who hit for the first postseason cycle in baseball history in the Division Series clincher against the New York Yankees.

Vazquez started in place of Sandy Leon.

The Astros didn’t have any lineup changes but Manager A.J. Hinch said he plans to start pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton in Games 3 and 4.


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