Why Braves All-Star Chris Sale was scratched Monday vs. Diamondbacks
Chris Sale is back to being one of the best starting pitchers in the MLB in his first season with the Atlanta Braves. Sale, in fact, made the All-Star Game roster thanks in large part to his 2.71 ERA across 16 starts (99.2 innings pitched). However, the Braves’ decision to scratch Sale from his scheduled Monday night start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a game that Atlanta won 5-4, raised some eyebrows. After all, Sale has been very injury-prone over the past few seasons, and missing a start rarely bodes well for anyone.
The good news is that Braves fans do not have much reason to worry. He is not about to miss any extended action, as he’ll be starting for the Braves on Tuesday night in the second game of their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. His start was merely pushed back in favor of the return of former All-Star Bryce Elder from Triple-A as part of their focus on keeping the starters “fresh” as they head into the All-Star break.
“We decided to bring Bryce in, give all those guys an extra day leading into the break,” Snitker said, per ESPN.
After the Braves’ decision to scratch Chris Sale from his scheduled start on Monday, Snitker said that Sale will be back to his usual rest cycle. This means that Sale will be starting on Sunday in what should be an exciting tussle between the Braves and the San Diego Padres. With Sunday being two days away from the All-Star Game, that start will rule out Sale, as per ESPN, from a potential start in the exhibition contest.
Sale hasn’t pitched in more than 102.2 innings since 2019. Five years is a lifetime in professional sports. Thus, it’s imperative for the Braves to do whatever it takes to keep the 35-year-old lefty as healthy as possible heading into the most crucial stretch of the season.
Keeping Chris Sale healthy is the name of the game for the Braves
The Braves went out and bought low on Chris Sale this past offseason after a rough, injury-marred past four seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Sale started 20 games last season, and it was clear that he still has a ton of strikeout stuff, but it’s unclear just how much he has left in the tank after suffering one injury after another since 2020.
In 2020, Sale underwent Tommy John surgery, keeping him out for the majority of the 2021 season. In 2022, the veteran suffered a broken rib, a pinkie finger fracture, and then a broken wrist — summing up just how unlucky he has been. And then last season, Sale landed on the 60-day Injured List after the inflammation on his shoulder required further medical attention.
Atlanta got Sale for the low price of infielder Vaughn Grissom, who has continued to struggle with the Red Sox. Meanwhile, Sale is the healthiest he has been in ages. He has an 11-3 record heading into his Tuesday start against the Diamondbacks, and he has earned his 2.71 ERA thanks to his elite strikeout to walk rate (127 to 19) and elite ability to keep the ball in the park (just 0.63 home runs allowed per nine innings).
Bryce Elder makes his return from his Triple-A stint
Bryce Elder had a successful sophomore campaign with the Braves in 2023; in 31 starts (174.2 innings), the then-24-year-old put up a solid enough ERA of 3.81. He even made the All-Star Game, thanks to his stellar start to the season.
Prior to the 2023 All-Star break, Elder put up a 2.97 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 18 starts (106.0 innings pitched). He was never a huge strikeout guy, especially when his fastball velocity sits around the low-90s. But he got the job done by limiting hard contact.
However, following the All-Star break, Bryce Elder struggled to the tune of a 5.11 ERA in 13 starts (68.2 innings). He was rocked hard more often than not, and this carried over into his lone start in the playoffs. In Game 3 of the NLDS, the Philadelphia Phillies demolished Elder to the tune of six earned runs in just 2.2 innings, with Elder allowing two home runs. The Braves lost that game 10-2, and the Phillies eventually sent them home in Game 4.
These struggles haven’t left Elder at all in 2024. After a bit of a promising start in his first start of the season, allowing zero runs against the hapless Miami Marlins in 6.2 innings of work, Elder hasn’t allowed fewer than two runs in a single start this season. The Braves sent him down to Triple-A for him to sort his pitching out, and he at least has been better upon his return.
On Monday, Elder allowed three earned runs in five innings on the mound, and the Braves ended up winning, 5-4, thanks to some extra-inning heroics.
The post Why Braves All-Star Chris Sale was scratched Monday vs. Diamondbacks appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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