NORTH PORT, Fla. – Chris Sale had a wide-ranging opinion about the Grapefruit League start he made in the Braves' 3-2 win over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon at CoolToday Park.
“It was terrible, okay and pretty good all at the same time,” Sale said.
A great sense of humor is one of the many things Braves fans will appreciate about Sale, who is looking to prove he can once again be the dominant pitcher he was before injuries significantly hampered his final four seasons.
Sale still has a long way to go, but his first two starts in spring training have certainly been encouraging. The veteran left-hander used five strikeouts to allow around three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings on Sunday.
“I want to clean up some command things,” Sale said. “It just seemed like it was coming in and out. But on the other hand, I felt like I could do that when I had to make throws or had my back against the wall.”
Sale was also able to get a sense of how much he might be appreciated by his new fan base. This was the first time he pitched in front of Atlanta's home crowd since being acquired from the Red Sox on December 30. So it was definitely nice for him to hear a nice ovation as he walked to the dugout after ending his outing with a strikeout from Garrett Stubbs.
“Just don’t suck and they’ll like you,” Sale said.
But what will really delight Braves fans is Sale's attempt to prove that these first two spring starts were just a sign of things to come. He recorded nine strikeouts in his first 4 2/3 innings without allowing a run.
It is a very small sample size. But the results only confirm the value Sale gained from his first normal offseason since the 2019 season. He's no longer worried about his elbow, shoulder or any other body part he's suffered in recent years, but is striving to get back to where he was from 2012 to 2018, when he was in the Cy Young voting American League Award finishes in the top six in seven consecutive seasons.
“I want to be who I am meant to be for this team and make all the work in the offseason worth it,” Sale said. “There is still a lot to do. There are still a few things to iron out. But I like where we are and the course we are taking.”
The Braves don't expect Sale to compete for a Cy Young Award. But they hope he can make a difference in the postseason. To take advantage of this opportunity, they will have to manage his workload throughout the regular season.
A total of 151 innings have been pitched over the last four seasons. He pitched 102 2/3 innings for the Red Sox last year. How many regular-season innings could he get in this year and still have some energy left in the tank for October?
The Braves have said they will not put an innings number up for sale. Instead, they simply monitor his progress throughout the season and give him an extra day to rest whenever possible.
Here’s Braves manager Brian Snitker’s take on controlling Sale: “He’s done a great job. He threw one behind a right-hander and one behind a left-hander. I said, 'It's good because you didn't hit her.'”
While the Braves will handle the workload, Sale will focus on being the great competitor he has been since arriving in the majors. His competitive spirit was evident on Sunday as he used two strikeouts to overcome the hit and walk he earned in the first two innings.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm singled against a fastball in the first inning and hit another single against a changeup in the third inning. Sale ran into trouble when he hit Weston Wilson's foot with a break ball and lost control of a pitch that sailed behind Stubbs' back. But with two runners in scoring position, he fought back to make it 2-0 and ended his outing with a strikeout.
“Throughout the season there will be starts where there are none and you have to figure it out on the fly,” Sale said. “That’s kind of the separation between some good days and some really bad days. I was happy that I was able to overcome some of these hurdles. It was one of those weird moments, I guess.”