Sale opens second half as Braves face key stretch before Deadline
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Chris Sale continued his multiyear run as the Braves' most effective starter during this season's first half, and he'll get the ball tonight to open the second half as Atlanta begins a key stretch ahead of the Trade Deadline.
The lefty's first half (9-6, 2.20 ERA) was impressive enough that he was selected to his 10th All-Star Game, though he didn't pitch in the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia. But that ends up a good thing for the Braves, who can look to their ace to get things started on a positive note at home against the AL West-leading Rangers while also trying to build on an NL East lead that's dwindled to just 2 1/2 games over the Phillies.
Though the rest of Atlanta's rotation has become suspect over the past two months because of injuries and underperformance -- generating urgency to add at least one starter by the Aug. 3 Deadline -- Sale has continued to be the steady ace.
He's allowed opponents to score this season at the lowest rate of his Atlanta tenure. His 2.20 ERA, which would be his lowest since 2018, ranks second in the NL behind Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski and ranks third in the Majors among qualified starters. He's been especially stingy over the past two-plus months.
The 2024 NL Cy Young winner has pitched to a 1.96 ERA over his past 12 starts, though the Braves are just 6-6 in those games. The primary reason for that is the team has simply not scored many runs lately while Sale is in the game. Since June 1, the Braves have given the lefty just 2.3 runs of support per game on average as the offense has continued to underperform. Atlanta had a .599 OPS in June, the worst in the Majors, but has boosted that number to .751 (12th-best) so far in July.
Sale pitched well in his last outing before the All-Star break, but only pitched three innings before a long rain delay forced him out of the game. But in those three innings against the Cardinals, he recorded five strikeouts. Overall, the 37-year-old has allowed three or fewer earned runs in 14 consecutive starts.
Lifetime, Sale is 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA against the Rangers. Another strong outing Friday would play a role in helping the Braves hold the Phillies at bay before any potential additions at the Deadline.