Braves may have to wait to see when 'warrior' Sale can start against Dodgers in NL Division Series

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss reported to Truist Park on Thursday determined to avoid asking ace starter Chris Sale if he'd be available for relief duty only two days after making a start in the National League Wild Card Series opener.

“I didn’t want to put him in that position because I knew that even if he was hanging, he would tell me yes,” Weiss said. “So I was not going to bring it up.”

Weiss didn't have to worry. Sale was not going to make Weiss ask.

“Literally as soon as I stepped in my office this afternoon, he was sitting in the chair across from my desk, and he looked at me and he said ‘I feel amazing.’ That's what he said. I said, ‘Well, let’s talk.’”

That talk led to Sale recording the final four outs of the Braves' clinching 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night.

Sale, the starter in Atlanta’s 5-3 win in Tuesday’s series opener, struck out Bryce Harper to end the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth by striking out Bryan De La Cruz and pinch-hitter Otto Kemp.

“I was hoping he only had to go one, but he had to get to four outs,” Weiss said.

“But what a warrior, man. This guy, I’ve run out of superlatives for Chris Sale. Been talking about him all year. He’s one of the best I’ve ever been around. When you take everything into consideration, teammate, competitor, performer, work ethic, all those things, he’s as good as I’ve ever been around.”

Weiss said the discussion with Sale in his office did not include any mention of how pitching in relief on Thursday night could affect the left-hander's availability for a possible start on Sunday in Game 2 of the NL Division Series at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Even without the work in relief to close the Wild Card Series, four days' rest would be less than Sale often was given in the regular season, when he was 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA. Sale, 37, often was given extra rest and that helped him stay strong and record 200 strikeouts in 162 2/3 innings.

When asked if Sale was an option for Sunday's game, Weiss said “I don't know. I have no idea. We weren't even worried about that. We haven't even talked about that. We didn't look past tonight.”

The Braves had Sale and Tyler Mahle start the first two games against the Phillies. Mahle allowed only one run in seven innings in Wednesday's 4-3 loss in 10 innings despite suffering an abdominal pull during his pregame warmup. Weiss was concerned Mahle wouldn't be able to make the start and said Mahle felt better Thursday though still felt some discomfort.

Reliever Ray Kerr allowed only one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings as the opener on Thursday night and likely will be part of the Braves' plans against the Dodgers.

Kerr's strong performance against the Phillies was an important boost for the Braves' depleted rotation.

“I was feeding off the crowd from the first pitch of the game,” Kerr said. “They motivated me to keep going, throw even harder, throw even more. Every time I threw a strike, they were yelling, so I have to give it up to the fans.”

Left-hander Martín Pérez would have been part of the postseason rotation before landing on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 24 with lower back inflammation. The Braves also have lost starting pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Hurston Waldrep this season.

Weiss said “There’s nobody on the planet that had us" in the postseason when the injuries included such projected frontline starters as Schwellenbach and Strider.

“Nobody had us making the playoffs,” Weiss said. “These guys have overcome so much. ... It’s guys like Ray Kerr and everybody else that step up and perform when the stakes are highest. It’s such a great group."

Right-hander Bryce Elder threw off the mound on the Braves' workout on Monday before the start of the Wild Card Series and could be close to returning from the injured list after having surgery on his right knee on Sept. 7. Other possible options include AJ Smith-Shawver and JR Ritchie.

Following games Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles, the best-of-five division series shifts to Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday, if necessary. A fifth game, if necessary, would be played in Los Angeles.

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