Manager Robin Ventura is slightly hesitant to name Chris Sale the White Sox's opening-day starter despite an endorsement from Jake Peavy.

"It's not his call," Ventura said with a smile Friday after Sale threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings against the Indians in his first spring training start. "I'll take care of it later. Contrary to Jake, I'll take care of it."

Sale, meanwhile, learned a lesson that should will serve him well in the likely event he is named to open against the Royals on April 1. After working at a rapid pace in the first inning, Sale settled down and finished with three strikeouts. Sale worked out of a jam in the first and gave up two hits and issued one walk overall.

"I just felt like I was going a million miles an hour," said Sale, who struck out Michael Bourn -- twice. "Hector (Gimenez) came out and said, 'Slow it down.' When I threw my off-speed stuff, it kind of slowed me down and got me back to where I was. Thanks to him, I was able to pull it out."

Sale, who won 17 games in his first full season as a starting pitcher, described his outing as a good building block because of how he rebounded after a rocky first. Sale threw 29 of his 48 pitches for strikes.

The bigger honor for Sale would be to earn the opening-day nod.

"I was a kid in the candy shop the last couple of opening days, so to actually be playing would mean the world to me," Sale said.