Chris Sale Battles, Braves Offense Delivers in Series-Opening Victory
- Charles Mays
- Apr 26
- 5 min read
The Braves and Diamondbacks got the series going tonight inside Chase Field. Arizona has been one of the hottest teams in the major leagues in several batting categories, and Chris Sale would have to find himself to limit their offensive firepower.
There was not much to mention in the top half of the first inning, other than Ozuna walking again. Zac Gallen wanted nothing to do with him, and while it was not intentional, he clearly was not trying to pitch to him. Gallen looked elite through the first couple of batters before allowing back-to-back walks to Ozuna and Olson. Murphy would go down on strikes to end the Braves' threat, although the 3-1 pitch to Murphy should have been ball four. Phil Cuzzi thought differently.
Sale gave us a scare in the bottom half. His stuff was not sharp, and he quickly found himself in a bases-loaded jam with one out. Sale then pulled a Houdini act, getting the Diamondbacks to strand all three runners. He got Josh Naylor to chase a slider away and finished the frame with an Eugenio Suárez flyout to center.
I have been stressing the importance of early offense from this Braves lineup, and I knew that Zac Gallen would be the perfect one to pick on to make that happen. The second inning showed just that. After a leadoff out from Albies, the Braves went to work. Michael Harris II responded with a single, setting up Eli White, who ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to score Harris and put Atlanta up 1-0. After Allen struck out, Alex Verdugo came to bat and dunked a lazy fly ball just inside the left-field line for an RBI double, scoring White to make it 2-0. Austin Riley followed with an RBI single to score Verdugo, and Atlanta led 3-0 going into the bottom of the second.
The Braves had Gallen right where they wanted him. He was stacking pitches and running up his pitch count. The quicker the Braves could get to the Diamondbacks bullpen, the greater their chance to break the game open even more.
Sale responded with a shutdown bottom of the second, getting Arizona to fly out in order. Things were starting to look good for Chris, who had allowed just two hits through two innings. However, in the third, Corbin Carroll jumped on the first pitch from Sale and hammered a triple to center field. Carroll, the king of triples, leads the majors in that category dating back to last season. Thankfully, that was as far as he would get. Sale sat down Randal Grichuk via strikeout and got Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to pop out to Olson in foul territory.
Atlanta was cruising and looking to keep the game under control. They went down in order in the fourth, but Gallen had already thrown 89 pitches through four innings. It was only a matter of time before Arizona would have to turn to the bullpen.
Sale, still working on finding his full placement, showed some frustration with a few missed locations. In the bottom of the fourth, Arizona managed to plate one and cut the Braves' lead to 3-1. Jorge Barrosa delivered the RBI with pure willpower, reaching out for a pitch off the plate and making enough contact to send a hit to center. Sale limited the damage and escaped the inning with 90 pitches. The bullpen started to move, but I hoped Sale would be given the chance to qualify for a win.
Meanwhile, Gallen had settled in. After giving up Riley’s RBI single back in the second, he retired ten straight Braves hitters and showed why he can still be tough once he finds a rhythm. Gallen ended his night with 103 pitches after five innings.
Corbin Carroll, who had already tripled earlier, went down on strikes against Sale in the fifth. Sale then induced back-to-back popouts from Grichuk and Gurriel to complete his night. He did exactly what the Braves needed, working through five innings while protecting the lead and only allowing one run. Sale finished with 104 total pitches, 68 for strikes.
Arizona went to the bullpen in the sixth, bringing in Juan Morillo. Gallen’s final line: 5.0 innings pitched, three runs on four hits, with six strikeouts.
The Braves wasted no time against Morillo. Matt Olson kept his hit streak alive with a leadoff single, though the next two batters faltered. Michael Harris II stayed hot, squaring up a fastball for a single. Then Eli White reached on an error from Suárez at third, allowing Olson to score and make it 4-1. Nick Allen followed with an RBI single to bring in Harris and extend the lead to 5-1.
Chris Sale’s night was done, and Enyel De Los Santos took over. Sale’s final line was a strong one: 5.0 innings, one run on five hits, four strikeouts, and just two walks. He showed positive signs tonight, getting batters to chase his slider and working out of trouble when needed. While there is still work to be done, progress is clear and much needed.
De Los Santos delivered a clean sixth inning, giving up only a walk. The Braves bullpen has been very good lately, and he kept that trend going.
Atlanta went quietly in the seventh except for a Riley walk. Dylan Lee came in to pitch the bottom half. After a one-out walk to Geraldo Perdomo, Carroll almost caused more damage with a deep foul ball originally ruled a home run. A Crew Chief review overturned it, and Lee promptly struck out Carroll before getting Grichuk to pop out.
Heading into the eighth, the Braves maintained a comfortable 5-1 lead. This game had shaped up exactly how Atlanta wanted it to.
Sean Murphy finally recorded his first hit of the night, leading off the eighth with a double to center. Ozzie Albies followed with an RBI double, scoring Murphy and making it 6-1. Eli White continued his big night, singling in Albies for a 7-1 lead. After a Nick Allen walk and a Verdugo out, Austin Riley tacked on another RBI single, scoring White and giving Atlanta an 8-1 advantage.
Jesse Chavez, just recalled on Wednesday, pitched the bottom of the eighth. He quickly retired two batters, including a Naylor strikeout, but gave up back-to-back doubles to Suárez and Moreno, letting Arizona score to make it 8-2. Chavez battled through and struck out Barrosa on a changeup in the dirt to end the inning. Aaron Bummer came on to finish it off, in the bottom of the ninth, retiring the side and sealing the Braves’ 8-2 victory.
The Braves have now won six of their last seven games and exposed the Diamondbacks tonight, limiting their usually potent offense. Atlanta did a great job with runners in scoring position, going 6-for-13, just under 50 percent. Chris Sale battled and earned his first win of the season, while Zac Gallen took the loss.
The Braves and Diamondbacks will be back at it tomorrow night at 8:10 PM EDT for Game Two of the series. Catch it on FanDuel Sports Network, as Grant Holmes will face off against Merrill Kelly. It should be a fun one.
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