Chris Sale recorded his MLB-leading 12th win in the Atlanta Braves' 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Sale was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a trade this offseason, and was named to the National League All-Star team on Sunday – marking his eighth career All-Star team.
Over the last four seasons with the Red Sox, Sale pitched a combined 151 innings due to numerous injuries, but has regained his ace status this season with the Braves. The 35-year-old left-hander is third in the NL with a 2.74 ERA and leads all NL pitchers with 3.3 WAR.
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It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Sale on Tuesday as he loaded the bases in the first inning before eventually getting Jake McCarthy to ground out to escape the frame scoreless.
"Tonight was a grind," Sale said. "Once I got out of that first inning I was like, all right, let’s take a deep breath, refocus and get back to it."
Sale would settle down and give the Braves 5 1/3 solid innings while giving up two runs on five hits and striking out nine batters.
"It’s fun watching him compete," Braves manager Brian Snitker said via MLB.com. "It’s just his stuff and the whole shooting match."
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Sale’s excellent season has him in the conversation about potentially starting the All-Star game for the National League side. He started the All-Star game three consecutive years for the American League from 2016-2018.
But Sale is focused on earning his 13th win against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
"I think that’s more fun for my friends and family and fans and stuff like that," Sale said via MLB.com. "I appreciate it for sure. It’s nice, but I like to stay focused and keep my eyes on what’s important and take the ball when I need to."
Adam Duvall clubbed a 441-foot three-run homer to put the Braves up 5-0, knocking Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen out of the game in the sixth inning.
Gallen took the loss, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, a walk, and striking out four batters in five 1/3 innings of work.
The Braves have won the first two games of a four-game series against the Diamondbacks, and will play again on Wednesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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