Tyler Mahle is set to take the ball for the Braves on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, and that move lines up neatly with Atlanta’s broader plan for Chris Sale: keep giving him extra time whenever the schedule allows.
Sale will get five days of rest before his start against the Yankees on Saturday afternoon, helped along by a pair of recent off-days. The 37-year-old, who is in the National League Cy Young Award conversation, last pitched on July 29, when he worked six scoreless innings against the Mets.
“[Extra rest] is one of the things that has kept him strong and kept his velocity where it’s at,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s crazy to think about, but at 37 years old, he’s producing some of the highest velocities in his entire career.
I think that’s because of some of the adjustments he’s made in his throwing program this offseason and the in-season throwing program. The extra days are a factor too.”
The results back that up. Sale is second in the Majors with a 2.08 ERA, and his four-seamer has averaged a career-high 96.1 mph this season.
Before that, his best average fastball velocity was 95.2 mph, set in 2018 when he was 29. After that season, his arm began to give him trouble, and from 2020-23 he threw just 151 innings.
Atlanta has been careful with him all year, giving him only two starts on regular rest as the club looks to keep him healthy and strong into October. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner has been even sharper when he’s had extra recovery time, posting a 1.92 ERA in 11 starts with one extra day of rest and a 1.31 ERA in seven starts with more than one extra day of rest.
Mahle’s debut will also draw plenty of attention. He was acquired from the Giants on Sunday, just before Monday’s Trade Deadline, and now gets his first Braves start in the opener of the series.
The veteran right-hander came off the injured list on June 24 and put together a 3.06 ERA over his next six starts. That run ended Saturday night against the Padres, who scored five earned runs off him in 5 2/3 innings, though he still struck out nine.
“[Mahle]’s a guy we feel can defend himself against any lineup,” Weiss said. “So, it will be good to see him.”
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