Chris Sale isn’t starting NLDS Game 2 against the Dodgers on Sunday. That’s the word straight from the Braves, and it means we’re seeing another bullpen game from Atlanta, their third in a row, which is wild for a postseason series.
Sale’s Short Relief Appearance Just Reshuffled Everything
So, why isn’t their ace left-hander taking the mound? It all stems from his relief appearance on Thursday. Sale came out of the bullpen to close out Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Phillies, getting four outs and throwing 21 pitches. Braves manager Walt Weiss was pretty clear on Friday, saying, “A lot of it’s going to depend on how Chris feels. Certainly don’t want to jeopardize him and his health. He just happened to feel great [for Game 3 on Thursday] when he got to the park, and that’s why he was in play. He’s had to grind here recently. So we’re going to err on the side of giving him more rest, if it’s even close.”
You’ve gotta respect protecting your guys, but man, it shows how delicate things are. This isn’t a new thing for Sale either. The guy typically gets extra rest between starts. He only started on normal rest twice during the entire regular season, both back in April, and he was only on the mound for three of Atlanta’s final 28 regular-season games as they carefully managed his workload. Remember 2024? He won the Cy Young, but a late-season back issue knocked him out of that postseason. It’s a real tightrope walk for them right now. Plus, pitching with one day of rest on Thursday was his first time doing that since he was a reliever way back in 2011 with the White Sox. He hasn’t even pitched on three days of rest since the 2018 postseason. This is uncharted territory for him in a while.
Another Bullpen Carousel as the Rotation Crumbles
So, with Sale out for Game 2, Atlanta is rolling with lefty Ray Kerr as the opener. Kerr was a hero in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, giving them 3 ⅓ innings as an opener against the Phillies. Righty Grant Holmes seems like the guy who will follow him up as the bulk reliever, just like he did on Thursday when he threw two innings and 28 pitches. That’s three straight bullpen games, folks. Think about that for a second.
The reason for all this bullpen tomfoolery is brutal: the Braves came into this postseason with basically a “small army” of starting pitchers on the injured list. Their rotation is just absolutely compromised right now. You look at their depth chart and it’s a graveyard of talent: Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow surgery), Spencer Strider (elbow inflammation), Reynaldo López (shoulder inflammation), Bryce Elder (knee surgery), Martín Pérez (back inflammation), and Hurston Waldrep (Tommy John surgery) are all out. It’s rough. Tyler Mahle, bless his heart, suffered a minor abdominal injury warming up for Wild Card Game 2 but still started, giving them seven innings and only one run on 95 pitches. And in NLDS Game 1, lefty Dylan Dodd started as an opener, tossed three scoreless innings, before AJ Smith-Shawver came in as the bulk guy. This bullpen strategy isn’t a choice; it’s practically their only real option.
The stakes for the Braves are massive. They’re facing the Dodgers, after all. With Sale now targeting Game 3 on Tuesday, this bullpen game absolutely has to hold strong if Atlanta wants to keep pace. It’s going to be a nail-biter.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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