For the most part, this has been a season Braves fans would like to wipe clean from their memories. Injuries, stars underperforming, and just plain bad luck have plagued this ball club, but if there’s been one bright spot, it’s Chris Sale.
The offseason trade acquisition has been a revelation in Atlanta, which continued last night with perhaps his best start of the season. The veteran southpaw out-dueled the reigning NL Cy Young Blake Snell in San Francisco, helping the Braves to a much-needed victory.
Sale posted seven shutout innings while giving up three hits, no walks and punching out 12; Snell pitched 6.1 innings while giving up two hits, three walks and striking out 11. The game would remain scoreless through nine innings, so Sale was unable to improve upon his NL-leading 13 wins. However, a brilliant pitching performance from Raisel Iglesias in the 9th and 10th innings was enough to push the Braves over the hump by a score of 1-0.
Sale’s latest gem strengthened his claim for a potential first-ever Cy Young award. He owns a 13-3 record over 22 starts and 134.2 innings of work, a 2.61 ERA and 2.12 FIP. This is vintage Chris Sale, and it’s been a treat to watch for Braves fans.
Compared to other National League starters, Sale is firmly in the driver’s seat of the Cy Young race. He leads all pitchers in fWAR (4.9) and FIP (2.12) while leading the National League in ERA (2.61), ERA+ (161), and K/9 (11.8).
Right now, he leads Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler in NL Cy Young betting odds, sitting anywhere from +105 to +110 as the betting favorite, followed by Skenes (+200) and Wheeler (+250). If the season ended today, Sale would win his first-ever Cy Young.
The Braves haven’t had much to boast about this year, but the pitching staff, led by Chris Sale, has carried this club all season. He’s turned the clock back and put together what could be the best season of his career. The Cy Young award would be nice, but if the Braves want to make the postseason, they are going to need Sale at the top of his game the rest of the way.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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