After starting the season playing below-average baseball, the Atlanta Braves have turned things around, now sitting just five games behind the first-place New York Mets in the National League East.
The Braves, 17-18 and 6-4 over their last 10 games, have started to put some wins together. They’ve now won three straight, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday and taking two in a row against the Cincinnati Reds, looking to win the four-game set on Wednesday.
For the Braves to be the team they need to be, it has to start at the top. Their stars have to be as good as everybody knows they can be, including Chris Sale, who hasn’t been excellent outside of his last two outings.
Sale, the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner, was better than ever on Tuesday night, striking out 10 hitters and walking just two in 6.2 innings of work, allowing zero runs.
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“It’s kind of like vintage Chris Sale now,” manager Brian Snitker said, per MLB.com. “The last two or three times out, it’s been really good.”
Sale, a professional from top to bottom, has been in this league for a very long time, making his debut in 2010.
Despite some of the injury concerns he’s dealt with, there haven’t been many better arms in the league, and he’s well-respected because of what he’s done.
“I have so much respect for that guy and the way he goes about it and the teammate he is and just how competitive he is,” Snitker said. “It’s a lot of fun being on his team.”
With the Braves getting a few more reinforcements back in the near future, hopefully, this will be the turning point for them.
