MLB’s best hurler takes on one of MLB’s best teams as Chris Sale takes on the Dodgers

The Dodgers were without Chris Sale when they swept the Braves in May, but they won’t be so lucky this time around. After struggling against Spencer Schwellenbach, they now have to deal with MLB’s best pitcher — a title Sale earned with a stellar performance that truly put him in a class of his own.

Yes, Sale’s 6.2 fWAR is not only the highest among all MLB pitchers, it’s nearly 1 fWAR better than his nearest competitor, Tarik Skubal (5.4), despite the fact that Skubal has two more starts than Sale thus far. Of the 155 starters with the most innings pitched, Sale is first in FIP-, second in xFIP-, second in SIERA-, fourth in xERA-, and third in ERA-. He’s also been fairly consistent, having never had a calendar month where his FIP or xFIP has risen above 3.50. Even at the game level, we’re talking about only three starts all year with a FIP- above 100 (and only two above 110), and only two with an xFIP- above 100 (and only one above 110). He’s without a doubt the best pitcher in baseball this year, he’s one of the best contributors in baseball this year in general, and the Braves’ hopes of making the playoffs rest in large part on whether they can convert the contributions he’s made this season into wins.

But since Sale faces the Dodgers tonight, it won’t be any different That Easy, because the Braves are up against Jack Flaherty. The 28-year-old right-handed pitcher came over from Detroit at the trade deadline, and while he’s underperformed in Los Angeles (64-87-83, compared to an absurd, Sale-like 73-76-63 before the trade; Sale is 57-51-64 for the season), he’s still a cracker. The Dodgers are 5-2 in his seven starts since he arrived, and aside from a two-start stretch in which he “only” had a 10-3 K/BB ratio and allowed two home runs, he hasn’t had any bad outings.

So it appears that Chris Sale once again has little room for error and the Braves have a tough task ahead of them. With the Phillies starting Kolby Allard against the Mets (after fielding their top four against the Braves a few weeks ago), the Braves need to find a way to come out on top and stay relevant in the playoff hunt.

Game info

Date/time of the match: Saturday, September 14, 7:20 PM ET

Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA

TV: Bally Sports Southeast, MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM