Weiss: ‘We want full-strength Chris Sale’
LOS ANGELES - Braves manager Walt Weiss said that ace Chris Sale wanted to pitch in Sunday night’s Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that Weiss chose to give him more rest in order to pitch Tuesday night’s Game 3 at Truist Park.
“Chris always wants to throw,” Weiss said at a media availability before the game. “Sometimes you have to take it out of their hands because he’d pitch every day if we asked him to. We know our club very well. We know Chris Sale very well.”
The Braves will use a bullpen game instead, giving the start to reliever Ray Kerr, a star of the Game 3 win in the Wild Card Series win over Philadelphia at Truist Park on Thursday.
The complication over Sale’s availability for Sunday arose because he threw 21 pitches in a relief appearance to nail down that win, which followed his 95-pitch start in Game 1 last Tuesday.
With the Braves down 1-0 in the best-of-five series against the Dodgers, one way of looking at Game 2 and Sale’s possible participation was that it was necessary to throw the team’s best pitcher, even if he were not at his best, to have a chance to beat the Dodgers.
Sale has thrown on four days’ rest only twice this year. Weiss said that “you’re not sure you’re getting the best version of him” if Sale were to pitch Sunday, adding that “we’re certain” that he will pitch in Game 3.
“Look, at the end of the day, we want full-strength Chris Sale,” Weiss said.