The Atlanta Braves’ season outlook took another notable hit today with Chris Sale finding his way onto the injured list. The reigning Cy Young Award winner suffered a fractured left ribcage and will miss the next 15 days, backdated to June 19th.
This comes after Sale’s longest start since 2019, in which the Braves ace pitched 8.2 innings, struck out seven, and allowed just five hits with zero earned runs. While Atlanta has not made public exactly when this issue occurred, some are theorizing it may have happened on an impressive defensive play in the ninth inning in which Sale made a diving play off the mound. He struck out Pete Alonso on the next at-bat and then gave up a single to Brandon Nimmo before being pulled from the game.
Sale has lived up to his Cy Young expectations to start this year. So far this season, the Braves’ ace has pitched 89.1 total innings and is posting a 2.52 ERA. He has struck out 114 hitters already this year while allowing only 78 total hits. He currently ranks third in NL Cy Young odds on DraftKings Sportsbook at +1400, trailing only Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler.
It has been an uneasy year for the Braves and this is another case in which they received a setback after building some momentum. They are coming off a sweep of the Mets in the previous series and have won seven of their last 10 while inching back to full strength. Losing their ace is another huge hit, and don’t rule out Sale’s absence extending beyond the 15-day injured list stint.
Atlanta holds a record of 34-40 on the year and sits in third place in the NL East. The Braves are 11 games behind the Phillies for the top spot in the division. They are also six games out of a Wild Card spot.
Looking at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Braves hold +330 odds of making the playoffs and +2200 odds of winning the NL East.
There is still more than half the season left, so there’s time for the Braves to turn things around. Still, this has the feeling of a cursed season beginning with their 0-7 start to the year. Losing Sale is a huge hit to a team that is desperate to win as often as possible to remain in the mix and keep their postseason aspirations alive.
More updates will be added as they are provided by the Braves.
