Chris Sale Shines, But Braves Bats Go Silent in Missed Sweep Opportunity

Marcell Ozuna (20) Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The Braves came into this one looking for a sweep on this getaway day to close out the month of April. We’ve already played a full month of baseball, and while it was a brutally slow start for Atlanta, they’ve been hot lately and came into today with a shot to get back to .500.

Colorado sent out 23-year-old right-hander Chase Dollander, while Chris Sale took the mound for Atlanta, entering with a 1-2 record and a 5.40 ERA.

Atlanta’s first trip through the order was quiet. Michael Harris II made the loudest contact, driving one to the left field warning track, but it wasn’t enough to leave the yard. Sale answered with a clean first, retiring the Rockies in order and striking out Jordan Beck and Ryan McMahon to seal the inning.

Sale continues to claw his way back to form, and his velocity and command have been steadily improving. He needed just 13 pitches—10 for strikes—in the first. But the second inning gave him a little trouble. Hunter Goodman and Michael Toglia picked up back-to-back hits, the latter a double. Goodman would come home on a groundout to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. Sale bounced back with his third strikeout of the day and a groundout to end the frame.

Drake Baldwin got the start behind the plate, giving Sean Murphy a well-earned day off. Baldwin opened the third with a five-pitch walk, and Nick Allen stayed hot with a single. Eddie Rosario—back in his third stint with the Braves—grounded out but moved both runners into scoring position. That set the stage for Harris II, who delivered with an RBI groundout to tie the game at 1-1.

In the fourth, Brenton Doyle turned on a 91 mph fastball, for 421 feet and pushed Colorado back ahead, 2-1. Sale shook it off and once again fanned Beck and McMahon to end the inning—his fifth strikeout through three innings.

It’s also worth noting Marcell Ozuna has cooled off. After going 0-for-5 yesterday, he went 0-for-4 today and just didn’t look comfortable at the plate. He might be pressing a bit looking for the long ball, who knows. He finished the series 1-for-13, with an RBI single on Monday night. Maybe a return home will get him going again.

Sale came back out and mowed down the Rockies in the fourth, adding two more strikeouts to bring his total to seven. Eli White continued his hot stretch by leading off the fifth with a single. It was his fifth hit in 10 at-bats to that point in this series. He then swiped second, later moving to third, but would be stranded as Baldwin, Allen, and Rosario went down in order. Through five, Atlanta was just 2-for-17—nowhere near the offensive output we’ve seen the past couple of games. Verdugo and Murphy getting the day off didn’t explain the drop-off across the board.

Sale, through five innings, had thrown 67 pitches with 49 for strikes. Outside of the solo homer, he was pretty sharp. His slider was nasty all afternoon, and he kept the Rockies off-balance.

In the sixth, Harris II lined out to lead off, then Riley walked, but Ozuna struck out looking. Olson followed with a two-out walk, and that was it for Dollander—who was dealing with a split fingernail that likely impacted his grip. Dollander was dealing today, and Atlanta just could not make enough happen to get him out of his groove. Jake Bird came on and struck out Albies to end the frame. Ozzie had looked improved yesterday, but it was back to familiar struggles today. He wasn’t alone, but his inconsistency has been a theme all season.

Sale registered his longest outing of the year and kept competing. After a leadoff double by Doyle in the sixth and a wild pitch to move him to third, Sale got back-to-back strikeouts—Beck and McMahon again—then induced a Hunter Goodman groundout to end the threat. Nine strikeouts through six, and his slider continued to be his bread and butter.

Atlanta’s offense continued to sputter in the seventh, and to my surprise, Sale came back out for the bottom half. He retired the side in order and ended his outing with a strikeout on his 100th pitch—his tenth of the day.

Despite Sale’s gem, the bats completely disappeared. The offense went 3-for-30, scoring only one run, and hitters one through four were hitless. The lone RBI came from Harris II on a groundout.

I’ll be real, it was a flat out disappointing showing from the offense today. Does that mean that the sky is falling? No, of course not, they have had a great road trip. The ending today was just deflating, and Chris Sale gave you everything he had today, but there was no support behind him. Giving up two runs should not lose you a game. Sale didn’t lose this one—Atlanta’s lifeless bats did.

Notable Braves' Stats:

Chris Sale’s Final Line:

7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 100 pitches (71 strikes)

Braves Offense:

• 3-for-30 at the plate

• 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, 5 left on base

• Hitters 1–4: 0-for-14, 2 walks, (Harris II, 1 RBI on groundout)

• 8 strikeouts, 3 walks