Chris Sale strikes out 11 in beating Padres

It was business as usual for Sale, who allowed just two baserunners on the evening in a game where his offense gave him an early 6-0 lead that proved to be more than enough for him to pick up the win. Sale needed only 89 pitches to get through seven innings and was pitching on somewhat extended rest after his last start was shortened by a two-hour rain delay in St. Louis. Sale recorded the 2,700th strikeout of his career in this one, becoming the 27th player in MLB history to hit the mark. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in every game this season and will make his next start on Wednesday at home against the Padres.

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 was sharp in this one as he and Kyle Harrison put on a pitcher’s duel on Saturday in Atlanta. He held Milwaukee scoreless through five innings before giving up two unearned runs following an error in the sixth inning. Sale would be replaced on the mound with two outs in the inning at 101 pitches. He generated 12 whiffs to strike out seven on the day. The 37-year-old left-hander will take a 2.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 99/21 K/BB ratio across 84 innings into a start against the Giants in San Francisco on Friday.

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.