Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale has lasted five or fewer innings and allowed three or more earned runs in each of his four starts this year, including 4 2/3 and 4 1/3 innings in his past two. Last year, he had only two starts of less than five innings. Sale has surrendered 15 hits and nine runs (eight earned) in nine innings in his last two starts. "I just hate sucking, and I'm just bad. Simple," Sale said. His average fastball velocity was 96.2 mph in his start on Sunday against the Rays -- up 3 mph from his previous season average. The reigning National League Cy Young has allowed at least three runs in each of his four starts in 2025 after giving up more than two earned runs in only three of 29 starts a year ago. The fact that Sale is healthy has made the poor start more frustrating, but it should also ease the minds of fantasy managers that he'll turn it around sooner than later.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale has been assigned the Opening Day start for the Braves to kick off the 2025 season. Sale, the 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner, looks to continue his dominance in 2025 for the Braves and will start the season on the road versus the San Diego Padres on Thursday, March 27. The Padres have a solid lineup, including superstars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Regardless, Sale is one of the most dominant starters in the game, and fantasy managers should start him confidently next Thursday. During the 2024 season, Sale went 18-3 with an 11.4 K/9, 2.38 ERA, a 6.4 WAR, and a 2.09 FIP. Look for him to continue to rack up the wins and strikeouts behind one of the most potent lineups in baseball.

The Athletic's David O'Brien reports that Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale will start this year's Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. Barring an unexpected development, Sale, last year's National League Cy Young winner, will also start the regular-season opener on March 27 at the San Diego Padres. Sale was amazing in his first year in Atlanta in 2024, winning the pitching Triple Crown by leading the league in wins (18), ERA (majors-best 2.38) and strikeouts (225 in 177 2/3 innings). His 29 starts were his most since 2017 and he was able to stay healthy until the last week of the season, when back spasms caused him to miss his final start and a wild-card loss to the Padres in the playoffs. The good news is his spasms subsided and he had a normal offseason. Sale is a top-five fantasy starter in 2025, albeit with plenty of injury risk.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back), who was named the 2024 National League Cy Young winner on Wednesday, won't have his offseason hampered at all by the back spasms that he dealt with at the tail end of the season. Sale was unable to take his final turn of the regular season against the division-rival New York Mets in the regular season and then also wasn't available for the Braves in the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. However, had Atlanta advanced to the NL Division Series, he would have started Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's great news for the 35-year-old southpaw as he looks for an encore in 2025 with the Braves. He posted a 2.38 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 225 K's and only 39 walks in 177 2/3 innings in his first year in Atlanta. Sale obviously has ace upside, but there's also high bust potential because of his lengthy injury history.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale won the NL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, the first time the 35-year-old has won the award in his 15-year career, despite finishing in the top five in six consecutive seasons from 2013-18. The lefty went 18-3 while posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 26.5% K-BB% while earning a trip to the All-Star game for the eighth time. The veteran also won his first career Gold Glove award in 2024. It looks like the Braves won this trade with the Red Sox, as Vaughn Grissom was sent to the Red Sox in exchange for Sale, and Grissom played just 31 games this season due to injury, posting just a .190/.246/.219. Hopefully Sale's injury issues are behind him and he can continue to pitch a few more years with this type of effectiveness before any age-related decline kicks in. The southpaw was quite the value in fantasy drafts in 2024, but he will cost much more in 2025.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back) threw a side session on Friday and felt great. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told Sale earlier this week that he would have been on the roster for the National League Division Series had the Braves advanced past the San Diego Padres in the Wild-Card Series. Sale had to be scratched from Game 2 of Monday's divisional doubleheader against the New York Mets and then was unavailable to pitch in either of the two games of the Wild-Card Series in San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was a disappointing end of the season for the 35-year-old veteran, who is the front-runner to win the National League Cy Young this year after going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings over his 29 starts in his first year with the Braves. The eight-time All-Star obviously still has lots of upside, but he's also a big injury risk at his age.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back), the favorite to win the National League Cy Young award in 2024, is officially out for the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park this week, as he was left off the team's playoff roster. Sale was scratched from Game 2 of the doubleheader against the division-rival New York Mets in a must-win game on Monday. If the Braves pull the upset over the Padres in the wild-card series and advance to the NLDS to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's unknown if Sale would be able to make a return. Atlanta is going with AJ Smith-Shawver to start Game 1 against SD on Tuesday evening. Losing the NL's best pitcher at the most important time of the year is obviously really bad news for the Braves. Sale went 18-3 in 2024 with a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 225 strikeouts and only 39 walks in 177 2/3 innings over his 29 starts in his first year with Atlanta.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said he doesn't expect left-hander Chris Sale (back) to be available for the wild-card series in San Diego this week against the Padres. It comes after the Braves had to scratch Sale from a must-win game in a doubleheader at Truist Park on Monday versus the division-rival New York Mets due to back spasms. It's a massive blow for the Braves, as the 35-year-old veteran southpaw is the front-runner to win the National League Cy Young award in 2024 after going 18-3 with a league-leading 2.38 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, a league-leading 225 strikeouts and 39 walks in 177 2/3 innings over 29 starts in his 14th year in the majors. It's unclear if Sale will be available for the Braves if they advance to the NL Division Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sale last started on Sept. 19 against the Cincinnati Reds, so if he does return and pitch in the postseason, you'd have to wonder if he'd be on some sort of pitch count. The Braves will move forward with Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Reynaldo Lopez for now against SD.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back) has been scratched from Game 2 of the doubleheader against the division-rival New York Mets at Truist Park on Monday as the Braves attempt to punch their ticket to the postseason after losing a dramatic back-and-forth affair in Game 1. Right-handed rookie Grant Holmes will instead start the must-win contest in Game 2. It's a huge blow for the Braves as the 35-year-old Sale is a National League Cy Young front-runner this year. If the Braves do win Game 2 and advance to face the San Diego Padres in the wild-card round, starting on Tuesday at Petco Park, it's unknown if he'd be available at all to pitch in that series. The Braves are calling Sale's situation day-to-day for now. Holmes, 28, made his big-league debut in 2024 and has gone 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA (3.37 FIP) and 1.23 WHIP with 63 K's and 14 walks in 64 1/3 innings over 25 outings (six starts). Holmes had a 4.55 ERA and 1.35 WHIP as a starter.

MLB.com's Mark Bowman writes that Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale will make his next start whenever the Braves are facing elimination. Left-hander Max Fried will start the series opener against the Kansas City Royals because he's more of a creature of habit who doesn't like too many extra days of rest. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder), who remains on the injured list, will be a wild card who could be used at any point between Saturday and the team's doubleheader against the division-rival New York Mets on Monday. Atlanta's final two games against the Mets were postponed on Wednesday and Thursday due to inclement weather. The 35-year-old Sale, who is a front-runner for the National League Cy Young award, could very well be held back until one of Monday's games. He's been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in 2024 with a league-best 2.38 ERA and 225 K's in 29 starts.

After much speculation about whether the Atlanta Braves would have left-hander Chris Sale make two starts -- Tuesday and Sunday -- on regular rest in the final week of the regular season, manager Brian Snitker announced that Sale will start on Wednesday against the division-rival New York Mets on an extra day of rest. It's something Sale, the presumptive National League Cy Young winner, and the other Braves starters have done for most of the season. If Atlanta makes the postseason, Sale would be in line to start a wild-card series opener. The plan presumably rules Sale out of pitching in the season finale on Sunday against the Royals, because he'd be on short rest, something no Braves starter has done all year. Sale's fastball velocity was down 2.1 mph from his season average in his last start on Thursday against the Reds. Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach will start on Tuesday and Sunday in the final week.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale hit a season milestone in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Rockies, notching his 200th strikeout. Sale pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and no walks with nine strikeouts. The 35-year-old has stayed healthy, helping him compile a throwback season. He is now 16-3 with a 2.46 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 206 strikeouts in 26 starts and 160 2/3 IP. His strikeout skills have never been questioned, but Sale was last healthy enough to reach at least 200 strikeouts in 2019. His next start will be against the Blue Jays, who haven't hit particularly well overall but haven't struck out much.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale managed a quality start in Wednesday night's victory over the hosting Minnesota Twins at Target Field, striking out six batters in the win. Sale bolstered his Cy Young case with his 15th win as the Braves swept the Twins on Wednesday, most notably escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning. The 35-year-old All-Star left-hander has arguably been the top pitcher in all of baseball this year, submitting a 2.58 ERA and 1.02 WHP with 197 punchouts and 34 walks across 153 2/3 frames.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale struck out 10 batters over six innings of work in Saturday's 11-3 victory over the Angels. The 35-year-old allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks, logging a quality start and striking out double-digit batters for the third consecutive start. The 8x All-Star's renaissance season continues as he's now tied with the Tigers' Tarik Skubal for the most wins in all of baseball with 14, and he now owns a 2.62 ERA (2.06 FIP), 1.00 WHIP, and an elite 27.9% K-BB%. The southpaw will take on the Nationals at home in his next start.

Atlanta Braves hurler Chris Sale struck out 12 over seven shutout innings in Monday's 1-0 win at the San Francisco Giants. Sale scatted a pair of hits and did not walk a batter in his 107-pitch gem, marking his 12th quality start. He is tied for the league lead with 13 wins and is second with a 2.61 ERA and 177 strikeouts, while his 0.97 WHIP ranks fifth. Sale is having a Cy Young-caliber run in his first season with the Braves and will give his fantasy managers another opportunity to shine when he faces the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale was excellent on Thursday, tossing 7 innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 extra innings loss to the New York Mets. Unfortunately for Sale, the Braves couldn't get much going offensively and he ended up taking a no decision. Still, the lefty was dominant again in this one, striking out nine while allowing just two hits and a walk. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year and is in the running for the Cy Young in what has been a tremendous bounce back for the 35-year-old. Sale is an elite option in fantasy.

The Atlanta Braves have pushed back left-hander Chris Sale's next start from Monday to Tuesday this week against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road. Taking Sale's scheduled start on Monday for the series opener in Phoenix will be right-hander Bryce Elder, who was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett. Fantasy managers can still keep Sale in their starting lineups for the week, although he may not be in line for a two-start week now. The 35-year-old veteran southpaw was named to his eighth All-Star squad this year, and his first since 2018, after going 11-3 with a 2.71 ERA (league-best 2.26 FIP) and league-best 0.91 WHIP with 127 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 99 2/3 innings over 16 starts in his first year in Atlanta. Sale faced the D-backs in his second start in 2024 on April 7 and allowed two earned runs while walking none and fanning six in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (11-3) hurled a quality start and picked up his 11th win Wednesday night, going six innings and allowing one run on three hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Since getting knocked around by the Oakland A's for eight runs in four innings back on June 1, the southpaw has been nothing but brilliant. Five straight starts of two runs or less have lowered his season ERA to 2.71, putting him in the running with a trio of Phillies starting pitchers -- Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez, and Zack Wheeler -- to start on the mound for the National League All-Stars in the Midsummer Classic. Sale and his incredible 0.91 WHIP will head to the rubber against the Diamondbacks next Monday, looking to improve his chances of that All-Star starting nod.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale struck out 11 batters over seven innings of one-run ball in his strong performance against the hosting Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon, but he was left with a tough-luck loss despite a wonderful showing on the mound. The former White Sox ace dominated his former team on Thursday, but he was provided no run support to spoil the outing a bit. Sale has flourished during his first season in Atlanta, registering a 2.79 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and a tidy 118:17 K:BB across 93 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old All-Star southpaw will take the ball again for the Braves in a favorable matchup at home against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale was stellar during Friday's start in the Bronx against the hosting New York Yankees, striking out eight and allowing just one run on one hit across five innings for his 10th win of the season. Staked to an early three-run lead, Sale gave up a lone hit, which was a fluky Jahmai Jones triple as left fielder Adam Duvall lost track of a fly ball, with three walks against a team he mostly struggled against back during his Boston Red Sox days. Well on his way his eighth career All-Star nod, the 35-year-old veteran southpaw has a scintillating 2.91 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 107:16 K:BB over 86 2/3 innings (14 starts) for the Braves during his debut season in Atlanta. Sale's next scheduled start comes in Wednesday's clash with the Cardinals in St. Louis.