After being 'a mess,' Braves' Chris Sale pursues another strong effort in clash vs. Angels

Chris Sale wasn't feeling his best in his most recent start.

Not that the Athletics could tell.

The Atlanta Braves' ace allowed only one hit over six innings -- a solo homer by Shea Langeliers -- in a 5-1 victory last Wednesday.

Sale (2-0, 0.75 ERA), a left-hander, is scheduled to return to the mound Monday night when the Braves open a three-game interleague series against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

"He was sick as a dog. We didn't know if he was going to be able to make that start," Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Sale last week. "I was hoping to be able to get three innings out of him -- best-case scenario, probably four. He just couldn't keep anything down (in his stomach) -- he's a mess. It was touch-and-go before the game.

"But true to form, he takes the ball and goes out there and gives us six innings, one hit. Hall of Famers, they just operate differently, and that's what he (likely) is. It was an unbelievable performance."

Sale, the National League's 2024 Cy Young Award winner, said he knew he didn't have his best stuff when warming up before the game in the bullpen. His fastball sat in the low 90-mph range, down from his usual 94-96.

"You're not going to have your best stuff every time, so I really tried to focus on raising my focus," Sale said. "Reaching for more stuff when it's not there is not really a way ... to win this game. Just really focused (more on location) than trying to out-stuff guys."

Sale got a boost from catcher Drake Baldwin, the NL's reigning Rookie of the Year, who drove in four of the Braves' five runs on Wednesday.

"He's been doing it forever -- that's why he's as good as he is," Baldwin said of the 37-year-old Sale. "He's able to lean on some other pitches when he might not have the same (velocity) all the time on his fastball. But the changeup and the slider, being able to throw it for strikes and execute down in the zone, kept (the A's) off balance and allowed him to get through six innings."

Sale, who walked none and struck out three vs. the A's, is 8-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Angels, including nine starts, with 76 strikeouts over 65 1/3 innings.

While the Braves suffered a pair of one-run losses over the weekend in Arizona, the Angels posted two one-run wins against visiting Seattle.

The Angels won 8-7 in 11 innings Sunday on Nolan Schanuel's sacrifice fly, but got a scare when outfielder Mike Trout had to leave in the eighth after being hit on the back of the left hand by a Casey Legumina fastball.

The Angels said X-rays were negative and Trout is day-to-day with a contusion.

"After looking at how swollen it got, it scared me," said Trout, a three-time American League MVP and an 11-time All-Star. "So I'm just relieved it's not broken."

Though it was the second time Trout was plunked in the series, Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he didn't see any malicious intent.

"Balls slip," Suzuki said. "It's baseball. Like I said the other night, it's part of the game. Obviously, you don't want him to get hit. Or see Mike get hurt. But at the same time, you understand, I was a catcher, that they‘re trying to get guys out."

The Angels are set to start right-hander Jose Soriano (2-0, 0.00 ERA) on Monday. Soriano is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in three previous appearances against Atlanta, with two starts.

--Field Level Media