Chris Sale collects seven strikeouts vs. Brewers

The delay was two hours and 44 minutes, which was longer than the actual time of the game (two hours and 23 minutes). Sale was cruising before play was halted, striking out five and throwing 30 his 43 pitches for strikes. His next appearance should come in the All-Star Game. It’s his third All-Star nod as a Brave, but this is the first time he’ll be pitching (we assume).

Sale held the Mets scoreless through four innings before Tyrone Taylor took him deep for a solo homer in the fifth. Mark Vientos then got to Sale with a two-run homer in the sixth. Sale gave up another hit and hit a batter, leaving two runners on with no outs in the sixth inning. Both inherited runners would be left stranded. The 37-year-old left-hander will take a 2.27 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 112/24 K/BB ratio across 95 innings into a start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Sale took the loss, leaving him 8-6 despite him sporting a 2.10 ERA for a Braves team with one of the league’s best records. He’s 0-3 with a 2.35 ERA in four starts this month. The loss today saw him give up just two hard-hit balls but eight hits. Opposing starter Robbie Ray allowed 14 hard-hit balls yet only four hits in his eight innings. Sale will face the Mets next weekend.

López has plenty of starting experience and will jump into Atlanta’s rotation mix with Bryce Elder remaining on schedule to take the ball on Saturday with Chris Sale being pushed back to Sunday’s series finale. López is unlikely to work deep enough into the contest to deliver significant fantasy appeal. He holds a solid 3.50 ERA and 39/21 K/BB ratio across 43 2/3 innings this season.

Sale pitched well in this game, just not well enough to take down Davis Martin. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. Nevertheless, Sale’s velocity was up about two ticks across the board in his homecoming to the south side. While that helped his fastball miss bats, it may have also made it a bit erratic as he struggled more than usual to find the zone with it. In the end, this wound up as more of a good start than a great one for the Braves’ ace. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Giants and Brewers with both starts at home.

Sale issued a pair of free passes on the night while punching out six. All of the damage done against the 37-year-old left-hander came in the third inning, on run-scoring singles by Charlie McAdoo and Myles Straw. There were plenty of other baserunners against Sale in the contest, but he was able to keep them at bay. He generated 13 whiffs on 108 offerings on the night, posting a CSW of 32 percent. He’ll try to get back in the win column as he carries an outstanding 2.23 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and an 86/19 K/BB ratio (72 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the White Sox in Chicago.

The 37-year-old southpaw struck out eight batters on the night while issuing three walks. The Red Sox scratched out a pair of runs against him in the fourth inning — on an RBI double by Caleb Durbin and an RBI single by Jarren Duran — but aside from that, Sale was in complete command. He got 17 whiffs on 96 pitches on the night, posting a strong CSW of 33 percent. Now 8-3 on the season, he’ll bring a dazzling 2.01 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and an 80/17 K/BB ratio (67 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Blue Jays.

Sale is on another level right now. The Marlins squeaked out a run via a sac fly in the first inning and from that point forward he faced just two batters over the minimum. His slider was especially lethal, forcing 14 of his 18 swings-and-misses as the Marlins helplessly flailed at it low and below the zone. Apart from an odd blow-up against the Angels in early April, Sale has allowed two or fewer runs and completed at least six innings in every start this year. In total, he has a 1.89 ERA plus 72 strikeouts and just 14 walks in 62 innings this season. He’s still firmly one of the best few pitchers in the game and is scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Red Sox and Reds with both starts coming on the road.

The 37-yeear-old southpaw racked up eight strikeouts on the night while issuing a pair of walks. The lone tally against him came in his final inning of work as Ian Happ worked a leadoff walk, advanced on a fielder’s choice, took third on an error and then scored the game’s first run on a bounce out off the bat of Matt Shaw. Sale got 16 whiffs on 100 pitches on the evening — eight of those on his slider — while posting a strong CSW of 32 percent. He has been as good as advertised through his first nine starts on the season, going 6-3 with a minuscule 1.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a 64/14 K/BB ratio across 55 innings. He’ll try to get back in the win column when he takes on the Marlins in Miami on Tuesday.

Sale did his part in striking out seven and amassing 17 whiffs, but the Braves couldn’t support him tonight like they have for much of the season. As a result, he dropped to 6-2 with a 2.20 ERA. He’ll take on the Cubs as the Braves continue this rough stretch of the schedule next week.