Overall, this was a season that Braves fans would rather erase from their memories. Injuries, subpar star performances, and just plain bad luck have plagued this ballclub, but if there was one bright spot, it was Chris Sale.
The offseason transfer was a revelation for Atlanta, which continued last night with perhaps his best start of the season. The veteran left-hander defeated reigning NL Cy Young Blake Snell in San Francisco to help the Braves get a much-needed win.
Sale went seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, no walks and 12 strikeouts; Snell pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two hits, three walks and 12 strikeouts. The game went scoreless for nine innings, and Sale failed to improve on his NL-leading 13 wins. However, a brilliant pitching performance by Raisel Iglesias in the 9th and 10th innings was enough to get the Braves over the hump with a score of 1-0.
Sale’s latest performance cemented his claim for a possible first Cy Young Award. He has a record of 13-3 in 22 starts and 134.2 innings, a 2.61 ERA and a 2.12 FIP. This is Chris Sale at his finest and a real treat for Braves fans.
Compared to other National League starters, Sale has the edge in the race for the Cy Young Award. He leads all pitchers in fWAR (4.9) and FIP (2.12) while also leading the National League in ERA (2.61), ERA+ (161) and K/9 (11.8).
Right now, he’s ahead of Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler in the NL Cy Young betting odds, sitting between +105 and +110 as the favorite, followed by Skenes (+200) and Wheeler (+250). If the season ended today, Sale would win his first Cy Young.
The Braves didn’t have much to brag about this year, but the pitching staff led by Chris Sale carried the club all season. He turned back the clock and put together perhaps the best season of his career. The Cy Young Award would be nice, but if the Braves want to make the playoffs, they’ll need to keep Sale at his best for the rest of the season.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
