Return of vintage Chris Sale eases the pain of Braves’ worst loss of the year

In what has already been a frustrating season for the Atlanta Braves, Wednesday's loss against the Colorado Rockies was the worst of them all. The final score might've only been 2-1, but losing to the now 5-25 Rockies is as embarrassing as it gets.

While this loss was inexcusable for the Braves, there is one clear positive that Atlanta fans can take from Wednesday's contest. Chris Sale looked more like the NL Cy Young winner that he was in the 2024 season than he has all year.

Sale entered Wednesday's start with a 5.40 ERA in six outings, looking nothing like the star he's expected to be. He had allowed three runs or more in four of his six starts and had not completed six innings a single time. Well, in this outing, he allowed just two runs in seven innings of work, striking out 10 batters without issuing a single walk. He was dominant.

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Chris Sale pitches well for Braves even in embarrassing loss

While the final line was Cy Young-like from Sale, it wasn't all sunshine and roses for the southpaw. While his slider was unhittable, his fastball velocity was noticeably down. The altitude does impact pitches at times, and it made sense for him to lean on his slider given how dominant it was, but it's hard not to be a bit concerned about the velocity given his age (36) and back issue at the end of last season.

If Sale is going to have these results, it doesn't matter how hard he is throwing at the end of the day. Sale was also able to dial his fastball velocity up to the mid-90s when he needed to. While these things are certainly true, will he have the success he had on Wednesday against teams that haven't lost 25 of 30?

Braves fans can only hope so. The last thing this Braves team can afford is struggles from Sale. Reynaldo Lopez is out long-term, it remains to be seen when Spencer Strider will be back after suffering a hamstring injury, and Bryce Elder is impossible to rely on every fifth day. For the Braves to be the contending team they expect to be, they'll need Sale to be more like the pitcher he was in 2024.

While it'll be interesting to see how Sale fares his next time out, for now, at least, Braves fans can be somewhat satisfied with what transpired on Wednesday, even with Atlanta losing to the Rockies. If Sale is back, Braves fans can live with Wednesday's result.