Chris Sale struck out 10 batters in his 14th win of the season, and Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 3 with a three-run homer early in the game as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Los Angeles Angels 11-3 on Saturday night.
Whit Merrifield and Ramón Laureano also hit home runs for the Braves, who improved to 5-3 since ending a six-game losing streak. They stayed one game ahead of the New York Mets for the last National League playoff spot.
Sale (14-3) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings, tying Detroit’s Tarik Skubal for the major league lead in wins. The eight-time All-Star is now 8-0 in 11 appearances (nine starts) against the Angels, with a 1.24 ERA—his best against any team he has faced at least 10 times.
“We’re getting to know him and seeing the pro he is, how he works, the competitiveness,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said about Sale, who has been dealing with injuries in recent seasons. “The stuff’s really good. I’m happy for him with all he’s been through that he’s having a normal year. And it’s a great year.”
This was Sale’s third straight game with double-digit strikeouts and his sixth this season, which is his first with the Braves.
“I’m just enjoying where I’m at and having fun playing baseball again, honestly,” Sale said. He leads the NL in wins, ERA (2.62), and strikeouts (187) in his bid for a pitching triple crown.
“Obviously, my last few years have been well documented and it was tough. But people go through tough things, you get over it and here we are.”
Nolan Schanuel had three hits for the Angels, and Kevin Pillar drove in two runs against his former team as Los Angeles fell to 1-4 on a six-game homestand. Griffin Canning (4-11) allowed a season-high seven runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
The Braves were up 3-0 just three batters into the game when Michael Harris II doubled, Austin Riley singled, and Ozuna hit a home run to center field, his 36th. They went up 4-0 in the second inning on an RBI single from Harris.
