National League Cy Young favorite Chris Sale will not pitch for the Atlanta Braves against the San Diego Padres, as he was left off the Braves roster for the Wild Card Series.
Sale had a 2.38 ERA, 1.013 WHIP and league-leading 225 strikeouts in 29 starts this season, his first with Atlanta. But Sale’s velocity dipped recently, and he was scratched from an elimination game start Monday due to back spasms. Grant Holmes started instead and pitched the Braves into the playoffs in Game 162.
Either Bryce Elder or AJ Smith-Shawver will start Game 1, likely pitching piggyback because the Braves bullpen is on fumes after Monday’s doubleheader. Max Fried will start Game 2. The Padres have Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Dylan Cease lined up on regular rest.
#Braves will hope to have Chris Sale available should they advance. But they had to have arms they could be certain are available for this round, since bullppen is gonna need a day to reset. I’d guess Smith-Shawver and Elder, in either order, piggyback tonight with pen on fumes.
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 1, 2024
Spencer Schwellenbach was also left off the Braves’ wild-card roster, though that is not a surprise since he pitched Monday and would not factor into a three-day series. The Braves will not ask their prized rookie to pitch any on two days’ rest. He would him to start NLDS opener should they advance — by that point, they would also hope to have Sale available again.
(Photo: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
