This National League East four-game showdown gets off to a compelling start Friday when Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves visit Cristopher Sanchez and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta (83-57) holds a four-game lead on Philadelphia (79-61) with each team having 22 games left. The Braves and Phillies play each other seven times down the stretch, including this four-game set that kicks off with a pair of ace left-handers on the mound.
After winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2024, Sale (13-9, 2.06 ERA) is back in the mix this season. He is coming off a complete game — his first since 2019 — as he blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on Aug. 27, allowing five hits and striking out 11 without a walk.
“That’s probably one of the top two pitching performances I’ve seen during my time in the big leagues,” said Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, a rookie last season. “From pitch one, he was just locked in and executing pitches. It’s pretty incredible.”
Sale, 37, has also been incredible against the Phillies this season. He faced them twice in April and gave up a total of one run and six hits in 13 innings. For his career, the lanky left-hander is 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 53 innings over nine starts since 2016 against Philadelphia.
Sanchez (16-4, 2.52) is right in the thick of the NL Cy Young race, as well. The 2025 runner-up for the award also is coming off a stellar outing — a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels in which he yielded just two hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight in that matchup, giving him 15 strikeouts and one walk over his last two starts.
“I think you have to look at him as one of (the best pitchers in baseball). He’s just not as sexy as some of the other guys,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s not throwing 100, 105 or whatever. He just keeps getting outs.”
Sanchez, 29, has faced Atlanta once this season, allowing three runs (all unearned) in six innings of a 3-1 home defeat on April 18. He has never defeated the Braves in his career, entering this matchup with an 0-4 record and a 3.09 ERA in 43 2/3 innings over eight previous appearances (seven starts) since 2021.
Both teams will arrive at Citizens Bank Park on the heels of shutouts, albeit on opposite ends. Atlanta blanked the host Washington Nationals 9-0 on Wednesday, while Philadelphia fell to the host Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0.
In the Braves’ resounding victory, Ronald Acuna Jr. belted a three-run home run to become the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 homers and 200 steals (904 games).
“There’s certain guys that when they get going and they get hot, it’s almost like there ought to be another league for them,” said Braves third baseman Austin Riley. “He’s one of those guys.”
Sean Murphy added a three-run homer for Atlanta, which has won eight of its last 10 games.
Philadelphia also has been playing well of late, having captured 15 of its last 18 contests. However, one of those three defeats came Wednesday when the team managed only three hits against Arizona.
Bryan De La Cruz singled and doubled in a losing effort for the Phillies, who wasted seven scoreless frames from rookie Andrew Painter.
“That’s just part of the game,” said Painter, who allowed two hits and no walks with six strikeouts. “The team’s been hot. We’ve been rolling. We had fired off six straight (wins), so a little wrinkle along the way I don’t think is going to hurt us.”
The Braves lead the season series 5-1.
–Field Level Media
