ATLANTA -- Chris Sale’s least effective start in nearly two full months still gave the Braves a chance to win.
Sale once again had his fastball humming as well as it has in any start during any of the past eight seasons. But he stumbled during a three-run third inning, and he had to fight to ensure those runs would account for the only damage he surrendered in the Braves’ 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday night at Truist Park.
Sale surrendered 10 hits, his highest total since 2021, but still allowed just three runs over 5 2/3 innings. This marked just the second time in 12 starts that the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner allowed more than two earned runs.
Most of Sale’s frustration was felt during the third, which began with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lining a one-out double to the right-field wall and advancing to third base when Kazuma Okamoto followed with a soft infield single. The Blue Jays added two more hits during the three-run frame, including the 107.7 mph RBI single Charles McAdoo laced against a changeup.
Sale’s four-seam fastball averaged exactly 97 mph for a second straight start. That stands as the highest average he has produced with that pitch since the start of the 2019 season. But the extra life in the heater hasn’t created efficiency. He limited the Red Sox to two runs but lasted just five innings in his previous start.