Braves’ Chris Sale out to further Cy Young case vs. Dodgers
Chris Sale will look to bolster his already strong case for the National League Cy Young Award on Saturday night when the host Atlanta Braves continue their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On a broader scale, Sale (16-3, 2.38 ERA) leads the NL in wins and ERA and is second in strikeouts (213) this season and is undefeated over his past 12 starts.
As for the immediate, the eight-time All-Star has struck out 16 over 13 scoreless innings this month. “How he does what he does is amazing to me,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the 35-year-old left-hander scattered two hits over six innings while tossing a season-high 113 pitches in a no-decision in a 4-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. Impressive numbers to be certain, but Sale hasn’t exactly fared well in his career vs. the Dodgers. He is 0-1 with a bloated 10.13 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against them.
Sale will look to change that narrative and send the Braves (80-67) to their second straight win to begin the series. Atlanta bolted to a fast start in its 6-2 victory over the Dodgers in the opener on Friday, thereby keeping on the heels of the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot in the NL. The Mets (81-66) remained one game ahead by virtue of their 11-3 shellacking of the Philadelphia Phillies. “We’re in scoreboard-watching territory,” Snitker said. “But we are focused on what we can do. We can only do what we can do.”
