Atlanta Braves cut-rate ace Chris Sale bounces back to 10-2 after years of injuries

NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Sale has become the Atlanta Braves’ cut-price ace.

An All-Star for seven straight seasons through 2018, he won just 17 games for Boston over the next five and was jettisoned to Atlanta last winter with $17 million to cover most of his salary .

After being landed at a bargain price as if it were an outlet store markdown, Sale joined Kansas City’s Seth Lugo and Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez as the major leagues’ only 10-game winners with Friday night’s 8-1 victory over the New York Yankees.

“I think he’s back to where he was,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

Atlanta (42-31) is 7-1 after a five-game losing streak.

“Just like we weren’t worried when things weren’t going well, we’re not going to sit here and have a party when things were going well,” Sale said. “You just have to stay consistent, stay at work and continue to do your part. »

At 35, the left-hander is 10-2 with a 2.91 ERA, striking out 107 and walking 16 in 86 2/3 innings. With one more victory, he will have as many victories this year as from 2020 to 2023 combined.

Snitker attributed Sale’s success to starting the offseason injury-free and having a normal winter routine before spring training. Sale would not agree with him being mentally free from any health concerns.

“It can happen at any time. We never really got out of the woods. he said. “I’ve been through too much to stand here and say something like that right now. I know what this game could be like. I just like being able to sit back and appreciate what I have right now, where I am and who I’m doing it with. I really have to stay focused on each day and not try to get too far ahead of myself in this game.

Sale was limited to just one start from late July to mid-September 2018 due to shoulder inflammation, then returned and helped the Red Sox win the World Series. He was rewarded the following March with a contract adding $145 million over five years through 2024.

He did not pitch after August 13, 2019 due to left elbow inflammation, missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season following Tommy John surgery that sidelined him until August 14, 2021. and did not launch until July 2022 due to a stress fracture in a rib on the right side.

He returned for two starts and broke his left pinky finger when he was hit by a line drive from the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Before Sale could return, he broke his right wrist in a bicycle accident.

Sale went 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA over 20 starts last year and was traded for infielder Vaughn Grissom, who is hitting .148 for the Red Sox this season. Atlanta then replaced Sale’s $27.5 million salary for 2024, which included $10 million deferred until 2039, with a two-year, $38 million contract.

“We saw a lot of the great Chris Sale in his early years with the Red Sox there, and then obviously the Chris Sale who had a lot of injuries and struggled,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He looked really good – the secondary is great. I thought he was off the plate. You see him being able to throw both of his fastballs, he can come back.

Sale’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.4 mph, 1.7 mph above his season average. His sinker reached an average speed of 96.1 mph, up 2.3 mph.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto each struck out two against Sale. Judge has 18 strikeouts in 30 career at-bats against him and Soto has six in seven at-bats.

“He was putting the ball where he wanted and the slider was big and it was moving,” Soto said. “I think he’s the best Chris Sale I’ve seen since I first faced him.”

Sale leads a rotation that includes Max Fried (6-2), Reynaldo López (5-2) and Charlie Morton (4-3). He was not happy with his success against the Yankees.

“I have too much respect for the game and too much respect for these guys to say anything other than hey, we fought and it went the way I wanted it to,” Sale said. “I’ve been on the other side too.”

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