We’re all acutely aware this is the third series loss of the season, but it is unfortunately the first one where the Braves have dropped the first two games. The fact that it took until June 10th to happen… I’m holding onto that really tight with both hands.
Chris Sale’s outing was reminiscent of his last one versus Toronto: soft hits, navigating traffic, and the bats doing very little to bail him out. The White Sox made him work; he threw 103 pitches in his 5.2 innings of two-run ball. He was still reaching back to fire that fastball 98 mph on his very last pitch (which unfortunately came in and hit Jacob Gonzalez), because Christopher Allen Sale is a madman.
Sale put up zeroes the first three innings and ran into trouble in the fourth. I, for one, am ready to be done seeing Braden Montgomery. Defensively, he was at the scene of the crime of every Braves ball caught at the warning track. Offensively, he laced a leadoff double to start the fourth inning and would come home to score immediately on a Derek Hill single. The White Sox would tack on another one with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 White Sox. That would be all the damage, but it was enough to sink the Braves. Alas, the insurmountable two runs.
Sale was outdueled by Davis Martin, who spun six scoreless innings with six hits and six strikeouts. The Braves had the bases loaded with one out in the second after a Dom Smith lineout, a Mauricio Dubón single, an Austin Riley hit by pitch, and a Mike Yastrzemski single. But it wasn’t to be – a Jorge Mateo strikeout and Austin Wynns lineout would end the inning. There were a ton of hard-hit balls the whole game, but nearly every single one managed to find a Sox glove to end a rally or strand a pair of runners.
Didier Fuentes came out to get the last out in the bottom of the sixth, which was quickly taken care of by a Wynns pickoff.
It was probably a relief for both the Braves and those watching at home to see Davis Martin out of the same in the seventh. Instead, old friend Sean Newcomb was tasked with holding down his former team. Jorge Mateo, with no such sentimentality, led off the inning with a single. Wynns hit one on the screws but right to Chase Meidroth, followed by Michael Harris II striking out swinging at a slurve. But Ozzie Albies gave the Braves a sign of life with a hit that had the ball skittering past the third baseman Miguel Vargas to cut the lead in half, 2-1. Matt Olson worked a walk, but Dom popped out to end the inning.
Luisangel Acuña was doing Acuña things to the Braves, wreaking havoc with a single, advancement to second, and stolen base, with a Tristan Peters bunt pop out in the middle of all of it. But he’d be out at home on a fielder’s choice play by Riley. Andrew Benintendi came in to pinch-hit, Walt Weiss countered with Dylan Lee, and Lee got him on three pitches.
The Braves had nothing going against Seranthony Domínguez in the eighth, with Dubon, Riiley, and Yaz going down in order.
Braves debut alert – #00 James Karinchak entered in the eighth to make his first big league appearance since 2023 with Cleveland. Other than a double to Montgomery (who else?), he threw 19 pitches (12 for strikes) to get a Vargas flyout, Edgar Quero lineout, and Hill strikeout. How we feeling, Karinchak Collective?
Eli White (pinch-hitting for Wynns) worked a one-out walk off of reliever Bryan Hudson in the ninth, but no late magic for Atlanta in this one. Final score: 2-1, White Sox. It’ll be the same time and same channel for the Braves tomorrow as they look to salvage the series finale.