FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox manager John Farrell judiciously avoids hyperbole when discussing his players, mixing in a few qualifiers if the praise starts to get a little thick. In a market like Boston it’s better to control expectations than inflate them.

But on Saturday, while discussing the competitive instincts of lefthander Chris Sale, Farrell said the best correlation he could make would be to second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Around the Red Sox, there’s no higher compliment than that.

“You see him involved, whether it’s in the clubhouse and team drills to the conversation that goes on here in the dugout. He doesn’t expect any kind of preferential treatment,’’ Farrell said of Sale, whom the Red Sox obtained from the Chicago White Sox in December.

“There’s a switch that gets flipped when he walks out there to compete. That sets the tone for everyone else in the uniform.’’

Sale showed midseason sharpness against the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing four scoreless innings. He allowed one hit with a walk and struck out five. Of his 56 pitches, 42 were strikes.

“I was able to command all my pitches for strikes, especially my fastball. Felt really good with my fastball, in and out, up and down. Everything else played off that,’’ he said.

Sale also pitched inside effectively­, threw three types of pitches for strikes, and got seven ground outs. Against a Tampa Bay lineup with six projected starters, he dominated.

“It’s fun to watch him pitch,’’ Farrell said.

Sale was nonetheless a bit annoyed afterward.

“I had a stupid walk,’’ he said, angry about losing Tim Beckham in the third inning after getting ahead, 0 and 2.

Sale, much like former Sox ace Jon Lester, takes the mound with an aggressive mentality. It’s either a victory or a rotten day in whatever he’s doing.

“How much time do you have?’’ Sale said when asked where his competitive nature springs from. “My grandparents, my dad. I’ve always been like that. I don’t know if I really love to win or I really hate to lose.

“It’s like that. When there’s something to compete for, something on the line, win or lose I like to win.’’

It helps to explain the occasional public frustration Sale showed while a member of the White Sox. The club failed to advance to the postseason in his seven seasons there and last had a winning record in 2012.

In the must-win world of the Red Sox, Sale won’t have to change his tone.

“It’s easier to dial it back than ramp it up,’’ he said. “You take the good with the bad, I’m still trying to find a good combination of levelheadedness but also that competitive fire.’’

When Sale was on the mound, the Sox scored two runs in the third inning aided by aggressive base running. That appealed to his nature.

“Little things like that, those are big things even in the spring,’’ Sale said. “Attention to detail, doing the little things right . . . those things sometimes get overlooked.’’

Pedroia stole third with two outs in the inning and scored on a shallow single to left field. That led to another run when Pablo Sandoval reached on an infield single that split a defensive shift.

“Ninety feet in this game is huge,’’ Sale said. “They stress that every day here. We got two runs maybe we wouldn’t have had otherwise just being smart and knowing the game.’’

The logistical challenge of changing teams has been easy for Sale. He makes his home only­ a short drive from JetBlue Park in Naples and has been able to spend plenty of time with his wife and two sons after games.

“Can’t beat that. It’s like the cherry on top,’’ he said.

Florida had an unusually dry winter and there have been wildfires in different parts of the state in recent weeks. One of the blazes, in Collier County, sent ashes drifting into Sale’s neighborhood.

“That was right down the road,’’ he said. “Those firefighters are working their butts off for us.’’

Sale made a plea for fans to help firefighters with donations of bottled water, baby wipes, and snacks. “They’ve been working really hard. I think they have it under control . . . Hats off to all the paramedics and firefighters,’’ he said. “They’ve been working really hard to make us safe.’’

Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.