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NORTH PORT, Fla. — Chris Sale had a broad take on the Grapefruit League start he had in the Braves’ 3-2 victory over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon at CoolToday Park.
“It was terrible, good and pretty good at the same time,” Sale said.
A great sense of humor is one of the many things Braves fans should like about Sale, who is looking to prove that he can return to being the dominant pitcher he was before injuries significantly marred his final four seasons.
Sale has a long way to go, but his first two starts in spring training have certainly been encouraging. The veteran left-hander used five strikeouts to throw around three hits and a pair of walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings on Sunday.
“I want to clean up some of the command stuff,” Sale said. “It just seemed like it was going in and out. But on the other hand, I felt like when I needed to make throws, or when my back was against the wall, I could do it.”
Sale also got a sense of how much his new fan base might appreciate him. This was the first time he pitched in front of the Atlanta home crowd since he was acquired from the Red Sox on December 30. So, it was certainly nice for him to hear a standing ovation as he walked to the dugout after ending his outing with a strikeout of Garrett Stubbs.
“Just don’t stink and they’ll like you,” Sale said.
But what will really please Braves fans is Sale’s attempt to prove that these first two spring starts were just a sign of things to come. He has recorded nine strikeouts and did not allow a run in his first 4 2/3 innings.
It’s a very small sample size. But the results simply validate the value Sale gained in his first normal offseason since the one following the 2019 season. He is no longer worried about his elbow, shoulder or any other part of his body that he has injured in recent years, his The goal is to get back to where he was from 2012 to 2018, when he finished in the top six in American League Cy Young Award voting. in seven consecutive seasons.
“I want to be what I’m supposed to be for this team and make all that work in the offseason pay off,” Sale said. “There is still work to do. There are still some things to resolve. But I like where we are and the trajectory we are following.”
The Braves don’t expect Sale to compete for a Cy Young Award. But they hope she can make a difference once he hits the postseason. To create this opportunity, they will need to manage their workload during the regular season.
Sale has totaled 151 innings over the past four seasons. He logged 102 2/3 innings for the Red Sox last year. So how many regular season innings could he complete this year and still have some gas in the tank come October?
The Braves have said they will not put an innings number on Sale. Instead, they will simply monitor his progress throughout the season and give him an extra day to rest whenever possible.
Here’s Braves manager Brian Snitker’s take on Sale’s control: “He did a great job. He threw one behind a right-hander and one behind a left-hander. I said, ‘It’s okay because you didn’t hit them.'”
While the Braves will handle the workload, Sale will simply focus on being the great competitor he has been since arriving in the Majors. His competitive spirit was visible Sunday, when he used a pair of strikeouts to avoid the hit and walk he gave up in the first two innings.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm singled against a fastball in the first inning and scored another single against a changeup in the third. Sale got into trouble when he hit Weston Wilson’s foot with a breaking ball and lost control of a pitch that went flying behind Stubbs’ back. But with a pair of runners in scoring position, he rallied from a 2-0 count to end his outing with a strikeout.
“Throughout the season, there will be starts where it doesn’t exist and you’ll have to figure it out as you go,” Sale said. “That’s kind of a separation between some good days and some really bad days. I was glad I was able to overcome some of those obstacles. I guess he was one of those weird ones.”