The Atlanta Braves finally won a hard-fought game on Tuesday night against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. The one sour note from the game was Chris Sale‘s performance.
Sale wasn’t completely terrible. He still struck out five batters while walking none in nearly five innings of work, but he did give up five runs and nine hits. He also didn’t get much help from home plate umpire Stu Scheurwater, who has a history of having a tight strike zone with left-handed pitchers.
Chris Sale’s Struggles Have Braves Fans Concerned
Sale Is Having Velocity and Location Issues So Far
Given Sale’s extensive injury history, any dip in his production is going to get analyzed quite a bit. With it being so early in the season, it’s fair to call this an overreaction, but his fastball has caught way too much of the plate so far this season, especially against the Phillies. His fastball average is also at 93.2 MPH this season, down from the 94.9 MPH he averaged on the pitch last year.
Sale and the Braves are pointing to a mechanical issue that has dropped his arm angle and has robbed him of his ability to spot his pitch where he wants and to throw it hard enough. He started off the game with a couple of nice heaters, but the velocity quickly dropped off and he started throwing his secondary pitches a lot more as the game progressed.
The question now is whether or not this mechanical flaw is something that can be fixed with more reps and minor adjustments or is Sale dropping his arm a bit in response to a possible ailment. His history of arm troubles is well-documented, especially with the Boston Red Sox, but he also has had a back issue in 2024 that caused him to miss the playoffs last season.
Sale Left Frustrated With a Rough Night On the Mound
Sale expressed his frustrations after a rough night on the bump. He was glad the offense was able to back him up en route to a 7-5 win over the Phillies, but it wasn’t making him feel better.
“We won this game, but I know I’m going to be staring at the ceiling until 3 in the morning tonight.” Sale says that it’s not clicked yet and he is frustrated because he felt he was where he needed to be in Spring Training.
In three starts, Sale has a 6.75 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. In five Spring Training starts, he had a 2.79 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Something didn’t tag along with him back to Atlanta from North Port. To provide some hope for Sale, April wasn’t smooth for him last season either. He had a 4.38 ERA in his four starts. He had a 0.69 ERA in his following six starts and his 0.56 ERA in May earned him National League Pitcher of the Month.
It’s Too Soon To Panic
It hasn’t been the smoothest start of the season for Sale, but if you’re already jumping ship, the Braves aren’t joining you. While the results aren’t great to this point, there’s little sense of panic inside the Braves clubhouse.
Sale’s early slate hasn’t helped either. His first three starts have come against three of the best lineups in baseball. The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s a brutal way to open any season, let alone one where expectations are sky-high after winning the Cy Young Award.
In his postgame comments, Sale made it clear that he’s not concerned about his velocity or overall form, and those around him are echoing the same. They do not feel that he’s lost his edge, it just wasn’t his night. The Braves brought in Sale for big moments and early hiccups don’t erase what he brings to the table. It was probably unrealistic to expect him to match his 2024 season but he is still one of the most talented pitchers in baseball and his numbers will begin to improve as the season progresses.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
