Chris Sale, Braves eager to add to Phillies' woes

A pair of talented left-handers will take the mound on Saturday night when Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves visit Cristopher Sanchez and the scuffling Philadelphia Phillies.

Both pitchers are off to solid starts this season. Sale (3-1, 3.27 ERA), the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner, remains a force for first-place Atlanta in the NL East. Philadelphia, meanwhile, continues to count on Sanchez (2-1, 2.01), the runner-up to Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes in the 2025 NL Cy Young race.

Sale has allowed one or fewer runs in three of his four outings this season. He held the Cleveland Guardians to one run in six innings on Sunday, throwing a season-high 97 pitches in a 13-1 victory.

"Hall of Famers are just different, and that's what he is," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "I think he ran it up to 99 (mph) tonight on a pitch, and he had some 98s. He's just a marvel, really."

Sanchez also is coming off a victory -- 13-7 Monday over the Chicago Cubs in a game in which he gave up two runs over six innings. He hasn't been particularly sharp this month, however, as he's allowed 21 hits and seven walks in 16 1/3 innings.

"It can be better," Sanchez said via the team's interpreter. "It can get better. The changeup can definitely be better. The good thing is I'm coming into my sinker, so it's helping a lot. And my slider is good, so I'm able to throw those pitches even if my changeup is a little (off)."

Sanchez has never defeated the Braves in seven career games (six starts), going 0-3 with a 3.58 ERA. He held them to three runs in 12 2/3 innings last season but couldn't come away with a victory.

Sale is just 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Phillies. However, he might be catching them at a good time, as they've been shut out three times while going 2-7 in their last nine games.

That was the story of Friday's series opener, as Martin Perez tossed six strong innings to help Atlanta breeze to a 9-0 win over Philadelphia.

"Everything can't always be great or awesome," Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. "You're going to have to fight through things. That's the journey of the year. ... There's always a sense of urgency to go out there and win a baseball game. That's the mindset we always have."

Bryce Harper went 3-for-4 and J.T. Realmuto added two hits, but the rest of the Phillies' lineup was a collective 1-for-25.

"We've got to turn this thing around, someway, somehow," manager Rob Thomson said.

Austin Riley hit two home runs for Atlanta, while Michael Harris II and Dominic Smith also went deep for the visitors. Harris finished with three hits on the night, and Riley and Drake Baldwin collected two apiece as the Braves improved to 7-2 in their last nine games, including three wins in a row.

"Just a great, great night all around," Weiss said. "Offense -- Austin Riley heating up, hitting homers the other way, that's a great sign for him. Just a great team win."

--Field Level Media