The Braves finally got the kind of start that should have steadied a shaky weekend. Chris Sale did his part in San Francisco. Atlanta’s lineup didn’t come close to matching it.
Sale carved through the Giants over six innings, striking out 10 and once again looking like the ace Atlanta needs when things start to wobble. His numbers on the season only got better from there, as he trimmed his ERA to 2.10 and his FIP to 2.55.
But the outing still ended in frustration, because the damage around him was just enough to ruin the night. Sale allowed eight hits, and every one of them stayed in the singles column.
Two throwing errors from the Braves’ infield and another quiet offensive showing turned a strong start into a loss.
That has become an ugly pattern. Over Sale’s last four starts, Atlanta has managed just two total runs while he’s been on the mound.
There has been no public griping from Sale, who has carried himself like the pro he always is, but the lack of support is starting to feel like the story every time he pitches. If it keeps up, he could wind up in a place no starter wants to be.
The Braves offense actually gave Sale some real backing earlier in the season. Before June, Atlanta put together four different games in which it scored at least nine runs behind him.
But those explosions have been drowned out by a much colder stretch. After Sunday’s two-run output, the Braves have now scored two runs or fewer in six of Sale’s 15 starts this year, including three of his last four.
That kind of pattern starts dragging up an uncomfortable comparison. If it continues, Atlanta will be brushing up against 2015 Shelby Miller territory.
Miller had a strong season in his lone year with the Braves, finishing with a 3.02 ERA, a 3.45 FIP and 4.2 bWAR. He also led the majors in losses with 17 because the offense around him repeatedly failed him.
For a team whose 2026 trade chatter has mostly centered on starting pitching, Sale’s recent run of no-support outings could eventually shift the conversation. For now, the hope is simple: the next time he takes the ball, the Braves give him something to work with.
In Other News...
Another Braves Loss Sums Up Everything Miserable About June
June keeps finding new ways to wear out the Braves, and this one fit the months mood neatly. A 5-3 loss to the Cardinals was built on the same mix that has haunted Atlanta too often lately: a pitching staff that could not quite stop the bleeding when it mattered, and an offense that spent enough time in scoring position to make the result feel even more frustrating.
Martin Perez absorbed the biggest blow, with the Cardinals stringing together the kind of swing that can flip a night in a hurry. Atlanta had chances to answer, including a bases-loaded spot in the eighth, but managed only a single run there and never fully dug out of the hole. Even St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore, who struck out nine in five innings, had plenty of traffic to manage with walks and a hit batter, leaving the Braves to wonder how a game with that many openings still ended the same old way. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Season Feels Stuck Waiting On Ronald Acua Jr
The Braves keep finding new ways to look stuck in neutral, and the latest skid has only sharpened the frustration. They have dropped three straight and seven of their last eight, with the offense and pitching both slipping at the same time, a rough combination for a team that entered the stretch still trying to steady itself.
Ronald Acua Jr.s absence hangs over everything, because Atlanta has not looked like the same group without one of its most dynamic players available. There has been at least some movement on his side as he works back from a hamstring strain, but the bigger picture for the Braves is unchanged: they need more stability from the lineup and rotation, and the encouraging surprise from Martin Perez is not the kind of lift they can count on all summer. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Finally Got One Encouraging Step From AJ Smith Shawver
AJ Smith-Shawver took a useful first step in his rehab journey Saturday, working three innings for Single-A Augusta in his first Minor League appearance since surgery. He allowed one run on three hits, struck out four and did not issue a walk, a sharp enough line to give the Braves something positive to point to as he continues the process of getting back on the mound.
The outing still fits into the larger picture of patience, because this was about building back arm strength and rhythm rather than rushing toward a return. Atlanta can use every encouraging checkpoint it gets from a pitcher who was part of its future plans, especially with the rotation already thinned by elbow issues and the club watching every healthy arm closely. [Read more 🡒]