Chris Sale DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale strung together his third consecutive solid start in Tuesday's 2-1 extra-inning win over the Reds. Sale pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing five hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Braves weren't able to get on the board until the ninth inning, sticking him with a no-decision. The 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner had a slow start to the season but has picked things up lately, including back-to-back 10-strikeout performances. He is now 1-3 with a 4.07 ERA, a 1.36 WHIP, and a 12.00 K/9 rate in eight starts and 42 IP. He should have a good chance to keep things rolling in his next start, which will be a great matchup at the Pirates.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale was stuck with a tough-luck loss on Wednesday in a 2-1 loss to the Rockies. He allowed two runs on five hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts over seven innings. This was the reigning Cy Young champ's best start of the season, as it was his first double-digit strikeout performance and his first outing of more than five innings. He had a rough April overall with his ERA currently sitting at 4.84, but he still has maintained an elite 29% strikeout rate and remains an ace both in real life and in fantasy.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale has lasted five or fewer innings and allowed three or more earned runs in each of his four starts this year, including 4 2/3 and 4 1/3 innings in his past two. Last year, he had only two starts of less than five innings. Sale has surrendered 15 hits and nine runs (eight earned) in nine innings in his last two starts. "I just hate sucking, and I'm just bad. Simple," Sale said. His average fastball velocity was 96.2 mph in his start on Sunday against the Rays -- up 3 mph from his previous season average. The reigning National League Cy Young has allowed at least three runs in each of his four starts in 2025 after giving up more than two earned runs in only three of 29 starts a year ago. The fact that Sale is healthy has made the poor start more frustrating, but it should also ease the minds of fantasy managers that he'll turn it around sooner than later.