The Braves are sending two starting pitchers to the All-Star Game — Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez — and both of them have a legitimate argument to be the starter for the National League.
Chris Sale is a veteran that has worked his way back from multiple serious injuries to find himself in his first year with the Braves. It will be his eighth All-Star appearance as he pushes toward the Hall of Fame, making it a feel-good story, which is what the All-Star Game is all about. The 35-year-old is also among the favorites to win the NL Cy Young, leading the league in wins, FIP, WHIP, and K/BB ratio.
On the other side, Reynaldo Lopez is another feel good story. A converted reliever, the Braves saw something the rest of the league was missing and plugged him into their rotation after signing him to a three-year, $30 million contract in the offseason. Initially, it seemed like a fun experiment with some upside that probably wouldn’t last. Now, Lopez is an All-Star for the first time, leading all of Major League Baseball in ERA and all pitchers in the National League in WAR.
Both are deserving of the opportunity, but there’s a possibility neither will even be considered because of how the schedule works out. With Chris Sale’s start pushed back to tonight, he’s now lined up to pitch next Sunday as well, the final game before the All-Star break. If that happens, he’ll be unavailable to pitch in the All-Star Game.
Reynaldo Lopez is also scheduled to pitch Saturday, and given the Braves likely want to keep their arms as fresh as possible, he’ll likely be unavailable as well.
We’ll see if the Braves alter anything moving forward. They’ve tinkered with their rotation a ton throughout the season, but as of now, it looks like both the Braves starting arms could be unavailable for next week’s All-Star Game.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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