This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Chris Sale will look to bolster his already strong case for the National League Cy Young Award on Saturday night when the host Atlanta Braves continue their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On a broader scale, Sale (16-3, 2.38 ERA) leads the NL in wins and ERA and is second in strikeouts (213) this season and is undefeated over his past 12 starts.
As for the immediate, the eight-time All-Star has struck out 16 over 13 scoreless innings this month.
“How he does what he does is amazing to me,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after the 35-year-old left-hander scattered two hits over six innings while tossing a season-high 113 pitches in a no-decision in a 4-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Impressive numbers to be certain, but Sale hasn’t exactly fared well in his career vs. the Dodgers. He is 0-1 with a bloated 10.13 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against them.
Sale will look to change that narrative and send the Braves (80-67) to their second straight win to begin the series.
Atlanta bolted to a fast start in its 6-2 victory over the Dodgers in the opener on Friday, thereby keeping on the heels of the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot in the NL. The Mets (81-66) remained one game ahead by virtue of their 11-3 shellacking of the Philadelphia Phillies.
“We’re in scoreboard-watching territory,” Snitker said. “But we are focused on what we can do. We can only do what we can do.”
Gio Urshela and Jorge Soler each hit a two-run homer in the second inning to highlight the power display on Friday. Atlanta’s run total in the series opener matched its total during a sweep by Los Angeles when the teams met from May 3-5.
Atlanta’s Whit Merrifield collected a pair of hits on Friday in his return from a one-week absence after fracturing a bone in his left foot.
The NL West-leading Dodgers have dropped three of their past four games.
Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the series opener. The two-time American League MVP remained stuck on 47 homers and 48 stolen bases as he attempts to become the first player in major league history to record at least 50 in each category in a season.
Tommy Edman had an RBI single on Friday to extend his hitting streak to six games. He is 10-for-23 with four homers, nine RBIs and five runs during that stretch.
Like Sale, Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty (12-6, 2.86 ERA) enters Saturday’s start after a pair of strong outings this month. Flaherty has yielded just one run and struck out 13 in 13 innings to record a pair of victories.
“He’s added stability, consistency,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said after Flaherty scattered four hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Sunday’s 4-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. “And (Sunday) it was a pitching clinic.”
Flaherty, 28, has a 5-1 record with a 2.61 ERA in seven starts since being acquired from the Detroit Tigers.
He is 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA in three career appearances (all starts) against the Braves.
–Field Level Media
