Chris Sale pitched six strong innings, allowing just three hits to earn his 11th win, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night.
Sale’s 11th win ties him with Kansas City’s Seth Lugo for the most wins in the majors this season. This marks a return to form for Sale, who has consistently won 11 or more games in seven consecutive seasons with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox.
“Is that more wins than I’ve gotten in the last five years combined?” Sale joked.
This season marks Sale’s highest win total since finishing 12-4 in 2018 with Boston. The left-hander struck out nine batters while allowing just one run, bolstering his case for consideration in the All-Star Game.
“We’ll see what happens,” Sale commented on the possibility of starting the All-Star Game. “But right now, my focus is on playing games and not getting distracted.”
Sale and three relievers held the Giants to just four hits in total.
Austin Riley contributed a two-run double in the fifth inning to give the Braves a comfortable lead.
Sale set the tone early, retiring the Giants in order in the first inning with only six pitches. He struck out the side in the third inning and continued his dominance until Curt Casali’s single in the fifth inning broke up his no-hit bid.
The Braves took an early 1-0 lead with three consecutive hits in the second inning, including Adam Duvall’s RBI double off Jordan Hicks (4-5). Duvall finished with three hits in the game.
Despite Hicks allowing three runs over five innings, Giants manager Bob Melvin acknowledged Hicks’ solid performance.
“It’s not like he pitched poorly,” Melvin said. “It came down to not solving Sale and then facing three pretty good relievers after that.”
Riley’s double off the right-field wall in the fifth inning extended the Braves’ lead to 3-0.
In the sixth inning, a close play at the plate saw Ryan Additon initially call Riley safe as he slid home on Travis d’Arnaud’s single to right field. After a challenge from the Giants, replay showed that Casali tagged Riley just after catching the throw from Austin Slater, upholding the call.
The Giants managed to score their only run in the sixth inning on Matt Chapman’s double, driving in Jorge Soler.
