When the Atlanta Braves scratched Chris Sale from his projected start on Sunday, alarm bells rang. Was Sale injured like he wound up being last season when the Braves pushed him back? Ultimately, the answer was no. The Braves made this decision to gain a competitive advantage, and it couldn't have worked out any better for them.
Pushing Sale, one of the best pitchers in the game, back, was a controversial decision. Yes, it made sense to have Sale face the NL East-leading New York Mets instead of Grant Holmes, but it's rarely a good idea to push your ace back under any circumstances. In a perfect world, teams want the ace to take the ball every fifth day no matter what, just to maximize the number of times he can take the hill throughout the season. Well, in hindsight, the move turned out to be a stroke of genius.
On eight days of rest, the 36-year-old delivered his best outing of the season when the Braves needed him most. He wound up finishing the night one out shy of twirling a complete game shutout. He allowed just five hits, issued one walk, and struck out seven batters. With the extra rest, Sale was allowed to throw a season-high 116 pitches and nearly finished what he started.
Chris Sale was untouchable in his longest outing since 2019! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ADs1ApJ9f0
— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2025
Sale delivered the Braves a crucial series win, and will now face Atlanta's arch rivals for a second time his next time out.
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Braves' Chris Sale decision has a chance to pay off for a second time
Had Sale pitched on his normal turn, he would've faced the 16-57 Colorado Rockies and then missed the Mets series at Truist Park. His next start would've then been against a Miami Marlins team with the third-worst record in the National League, before facing the Mets once again at Citi Field the following outing.
Instead of having Sale face bottom feeders, the Braves figured it'd make more sense to have him face a Mets team that was tied with the Chicago Cubs for the best record in the NL entering Wednesday's action twice. This decision also gave an older pitcher with major injury concerns extra rest.
As you can see by the results, it worked out incredibly well, and they even stretched him out further than they had all year.
Holmes replaced him on Sunday and he put together arguably the best start of his career thus far. He took a loss because the Braves' offense scored one run and their bullpen imploded, but Holmes allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and struck out 15 (!) batters. He was in complete command, so allowing him to face the lighter matchup worked out well even if the result wasn't what the Braves wanted.
A similar outcome should occur against the Marlins. Nothing is guaranteed, but the Braves shouldn't need Sale to take care of the NL East's cellar dwellers.
Now, Sale is projected to open what will be a crucial four-game series in New York on Monday. The Braves' odds of winning the NL East are extremely slim, with them facing a double-digit deficit even after Wednesday's victory, but the Wild Card race is and will always be wide open with three spots for the taking.
With that being said, every win they can get right now is crucial. Ordering their pitching to give them the best chance to win each and every night when they have that flexibility is undoubtedly the right approach. It's best to have their best, Sale, face elite competition when they can make that work with their rotation, as they just did in this circumstance.
Brian Snitker has gotten a ton of flak this season from Braves fans. Much of it has been deserved, but he deserves praise for this decision. Some managers would've simply kept their ace on schedule and not mess with anything. He wound up shuffling things up and got rewarded for it.