BOSTON -- There's no one-size-fits-all formula for preparing for October.
A year ago with the Astros, then-bench coach Alex Cora watched workhorse Justin Verlander throw 110 pitches in his final regular-season start while Charlie Morton dialed it back to just 64 pitches. Morton and Verlander made a combined nine October starts as the Astros marched to a World Series championship.
Now as manager of the Red Sox, Cora similarly will let his pitchers decide what works best for them to prepare for the American League Division Series.