Following another excellent start for the Atlanta Braves, Chris Sale was reluctant to talk about how good he’s feeling. He tapped the table he was sitting at and smiled, admonishing the reporters, “I wish you guys would stop talking about it.” “Is this object composed of wood?” Sale wouldn’t want to put himself in jeopardy given all the injuries he sustained while playing for the Boston Red Sox, which makes sense.
Over the past four seasons, Sale, who was once one of the most powerful pitchers in the game with his quirky motion and deadly stuff, has only mustered 31 starts and has spent a lot more time in the training room than on the mound. The Braves, in need of starting pitchers badly, chose to take a risk on the 35-year-old left-hander, late in December, the Red Sox traded him for prospect Vaughn Grissom.
Thus far, everything is going well.
Friday night’s 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians saw Sale (3-1) allow only two hits over seven innings, which was his lowest hit total in three previous starts. If you think that’s not very amazing, think about this: This was Sale’s first seven-inning outing over three straight games since June 19–30, 2018.
“I really focused on getting stronger, maintaining my health, and strengthening my shoulder,” he remarked. “I had a duty to the team I was facing off against.”
The Braves have benefited greatly from Sale’s play in the first month of the season after losing their best player, Spencer Strider, to a season-ending injury.
First baseman Matt Olson remarked, “You know the guy he is, the competitor he is,” of Sale. “He’s going to go compete that day with everything he has.” His work has been excellent. With his unique angles and skillful mixing, he manages to throw batters off balance. I’ve enjoyed playing behind him.
When asked if Sale resembles the pitcher that finished in the top six of the AL Cy Young voting every year from 2007 to 2018 while compiling double-digit victories, Olson responded, “He’s right there.”
The slugger claimed that “there’s been a lot of uncomfortable swings his last few starts.”
The Braves, who have won 10 of their last 11 games to establish baseball’s best record at 18-6, have benefited greatly from Sale’s slider in their early success. “My success has always been attributed to the slider,” he remarked. “When I get that pitch in line with everything else, it looks better than all of my other pitches.”
If only Sale could only figure out a way to avoid giving up the long ball in the opening frame of play.
This season, he has given up four home runs, all of which have occurred in the first inning, including leadoff home runs in his last two starts. On the sixth pitch of the contest, Steven Kwan of Cleveland hit a home run, but the Guardians were only able to muster one more hit and no other runs against Sale.
He laughed and remarked, “If I could just get over the hump in that first inning, the game would be all right.” The Braves were unsatisfied. Before giving it to the bullpen, Sale walked one, struck out six, and threw 67 of his 95 pitches for strikes.
