The Atlanta Braves had some great success from Chris Sale during the Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies, much like they have had all season. The southpaw was dominant, but he also appeared in Game 3 to close out the game.
The Braves did this to secure the playoff series win. However, the decision came with a major risk.
“Braves manager Walt Weiss said Chris Sale starting Sunday’s Game 2 after throwing 2 innings out of the ‘pen Thursday is “still on the table,” but it will depend on how he feels. Sounds unlikely tho,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzales wrote.
That has been the question since Thursday night: whether or not Sale would be able to start Game 2 of the NLDS. Braves writer Mark Bowman entered Sunday morning not thinking Sale would be able to make his start.
“I’ll now be surprised if Chris Sale starts tonight. My guess is the Braves will start Grant Holmes or possibly have him follow an opener. Kerr threw 47 pitches Thursday. Not sure he’s an option. The good news is every high-leverage reliever is available. Fuentes could go multiple innings,” Bowman posted.
With several hours left until the scheduled first pitch, Atlanta had been weighing the best option for them. There were multiple ways the Braves could go, but they have made their decision. Ray Kerr will start once again as an opener.
“Ray Kerr will start for the Braves tonight,” Bowman wrote.
Sale will officially be unavailable for the second game of the NLDS, marking what could come back to haunt Atlanta after bringing him into a game that was seemingly out of reach.
The Braves will have to make somewhat of another bullpen game work after doing just that in the first game on Saturday. Sale is a competitor, but it must be clear to him that he wouldn’t be as effective as he normally would be on regular rest.
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