It was another impressive outing for 35-year-old left-hander Chris Sale. Sale (8-1), struck out eight while pitching seven innings of one-run ball. Sale has reformed his game that earned him seven consecutive All-Star selections from 2012-18 before injuries caught up to him.
“Just doing what I need to do,” Sale said to The Canadian Press. “We all have our part on the team. Just posting every fifth day and trying to keep runs off the board. Take every start, you want to win. Had a couple of rough ones over the last couple of days. You want to end on a good note heading back home.”
Ending on a good note, indeed. Sale has a 2.22 ERA in nine starts. He went into Sunday’s start at Pittsburgh on a six-game winning streak where he’s put up a 1.15 ERA with 50 strikeouts and only three walks in 39 innings. That success of late, according to JayHayKid, has Sale joining Fergie Jenkins (1971) as the only pitcher to ever go 7-0 with 50+ strikeouts and four or fewer walks over a seven-start span.
Chris Sale joins Fergie Jenkins (1971) as the only pitchers ever to go 7-0 with 50+ K and 4 or fewer BB over a 7-start span.
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) May 27, 2024
Chris Sale Looks Like Himself Again
Sale’s last healthy season goes back to 2017. He finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting after going 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA and led the majors with 308 strikeouts and 214 1/3 innings in 32 starts. He might not able to replicate that season, but Sale has been one of the best surprising stories this season.
“It’s even more so once you get to know the person, get to the competitor, get to know really what he’s all about,” Braves pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. “He threw the ball the other day and was unbelievably good. He came in and he’s saying, just between me and him, stuff like, ‘How ’bout those plays (Austin) Riley made?’ ‘How ’bout the catch that so-and-so made.’ You know what I mean? I said, ‘Well how ’bout the guy that struck out 10?’
“But it just shows, he’s very giving, he’s thoughtful to his teammates. He’s as good of a teammate, I think, as you will ever have.”
Pitching is Carry Much More of the Load This Season
First @Braves pitcher since 2003 to win seven consecutive starts.
Chris Sale reached the mark in his first 10 outings for Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/w59UrpUjZ2
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 26, 2024
Losing Spencer Strider to season-ending elbow surgery hurt the Braves. But, they are happy that Sale and Max Fried are getting the job done. Fried, who has a 2.01 ERA, has opposing hitters batting .162 in his past eight starts. Behind those two is Reynaldo López, who has a 1.75 ERA with a 2-2 record. It’s no secret that the pitching is carrying much more of the load than last year. For someone like Sale, he’s been important in that effort both on and off the field.
“It’s great, because he has a lot of wisdom,” Krantz said. “Which really helps everybody. Young guys, the older guys. You put that on how hard he’s worked due to injuries, so he can offer that to our guys. You know, he’s at a different level than a lot of pitchers in this game. He’s been through a lot, he’s won a World Series, All-Star Games, and he’s still very humble.”
Main Photo: © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
