The Atlanta Braves scraped past the Philadelphia Phillies in a grueling three-game Wild Card series, but they paid a serious price with their pitching staff to earn that ticket to face the Dodgers. After going all in for its survival against Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and company, the Braves’ rotation still managed to make a statement, allowing just four earned runs in 16 2/3 innings across the entire series. That shuts down any talk about them being too Chris Sale-reliant, even if the bulk of those runs did come off Sale himself.
Mahle’s Madness: From Giants Disaster to Braves Ace?
Listen, when the Braves acquired Tyler Mahle at the deadline, I don’t think anyone really knew what to expect. The guy was putting up horrendous results for the Giants. But Atlanta clearly saw something, because Mahle has done better than anyone could have guessed. It really goes to show how much the right organization can turn a player’s career around. The Braves helped him with adjustments, especially leaning more into his splitter, and suddenly he’s dominating! Mahle put up a ridiculous 1.99 ERA in nine regular-season starts. That was all it took for him to jump straight to the front of the line as the number two starter behind Sale, a spot that was sorely lacking with Spencer Strider out for the year since June and Spencer Schwellenbach battling his own availability issues. Against the Phillies, Mahle might not have gotten the win, but he put on a clinic, holding them to just one run over seven innings. That was the best start by any pitcher on either side of that wild three-game set.
The Sale Gamble and the Road Ahead
Postseason baseball is all about who gets hot, but after just one start, it’s still probably too early for the Dodgers to be overly scared of Mahle. However, he is absolutely the X-factor for the Braves, because they are going to need him to perform not just well, but like an ace if their pitching staff has any shot of lining up with the Dodgers’ talent. Chris Sale is their undisputed number one, no question there. But his aggressive usage out of the bullpen in Game 3 of the Wild Card round could potentially affect his rhythm for his upcoming Sunday Game 2 start at Dodger Stadium. More importantly, the fact that the Braves felt compelled to give him the ball in Game 3 while they were up 6- just shows how much pressure their staff was under. The road ahead is brutal.
The Braves are staring down the Dodgers, and the big question mark is Sale’s Game 2 start. Will his Game 3 heroics come back to bite him? The Braves need Mahle to keep his hot streak going and prove he’s the real deal if they want to hang with the Dodgers. This series is going to be a true test of their depth and grit.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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