Chris Sale’s complete-game shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers may have done more than give the Braves a 1-0 win and a sweep. It also appears to have forced Atlanta to rethink how it handles the rest of September.
Sale emptied the tank in Thursday’s dominant outing against the reigning champions, and that matters now. With the Braves still chasing a playoff bye, the club has every reason to protect its ace over the final month, even if that means adjusting both the rotation and the shape of the September roster.
Atlanta is already operating with a six-man rotation behind Sale, using Tyler Mahle, Martín Pérez, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, and AJ Smith-Shawver. Under the current schedule, Sale would be lined up to start on September 2 against the Washington Nationals. But if he takes the ball in that game, he would not be available for the four-game series against the Phillies beginning September 4, and he would also miss Philadelphia again in the three-game set the following week.
The timing of the expanded rosters on Tuesday gives the Braves another option. Instead of using that extra spot on a reliever, they can bring up a seventh starter and buy Sale the rest he needs. That move would not immediately solve a bullpen that has already been stretched, but it would help line Sale up for at least one start against the Phillies, with a chance for two if the Braves use the seventh starter twice.
Reynaldo Lopez is the clearest candidate for that role. He could be activated from the injured list and take the ball after starting his rehab assignment last week. Lopez is scheduled to make his second rehab start on Friday, which would leave him on four days’ rest for a Wednesday start in Washington, D.C.
The Braves would probably have preferred to use their 14th pitcher on another reliever. But after Sale’s effort against the Dodgers, and with the Phillies series carrying so much weight, the extra roster spot looks far more useful as another starter.
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