Chris Sale: Resurgent Ace Leads Braves to Victory

Chris Sale's dominant performance on the mound propelled the Atlanta Braves to a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, solidifying his status as one of the league's top pitchers.

Chris Sale's resurgence as an elite pitcher has been a key factor in the Atlanta Braves' success this season, and his outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday was a testament to his continued dominance. Despite a rocky start, Sale settled down and showcased his trademark pinpoint control and devastating arsenal of pitches, leading the Braves to a comfortable victory.

Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in an offseason trade, Sale has quickly established himself as a cornerstone of the Braves' pitching staff. Named to the National League All-Star team for the eighth time in his career, the 35-year-old left-hander has regained his ace status this season with a stellar performance.

Chris Sale: Resurgent Ace Leads Braves to Victory

Over the last four seasons with the Red Sox, Sale was plagued by injuries, pitching a combined 151 innings. However, in Atlanta, he has been a model of consistency, ranking third in the NL with a 2.74 ERA and leading all pitchers with 3.3 WAR.

Sale's outing against the Diamondbacks was a perfect example of his resurgence. Despite loading the bases in the first inning, he escaped unscathed and went on to give the Braves 5 1/3 solid innings, allowing only two runs on five hits while striking out nine batters.

Chris Sale: Resurgent Ace Leads Braves to Victory

"Tonight was a grind," Sale said after the game. "Once I got out of that first inning I was like, all right, let's take a deep breath, refocus and get back to it."

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker was impressed by Sale's performance, stating, "It's fun watching him compete. It's just his stuff and the whole shooting match."

Chris Sale: Resurgent Ace Leads Braves to Victory

Sale's excellent season has him in the conversation about potentially starting the All-Star game for the National League side, a role he held three consecutive years for the American League from 2016-2018. However, Sale remains focused on earning his 13th win against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.

"I think that's more fun for my friends and family and fans and stuff like that," Sale said. "I appreciate it for sure. It's nice, but I like to stay focused and keep my eyes on what's important and take the ball when I need to."

Offensively, Adam Duvall provided the power for the Braves, clubbing a 441-foot three-run homer to put his team up 5-0 in the sixth inning, chasing Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen out of the game.

Gallen took the loss, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, a walk, and striking out four batters in five 1/3 innings of work.

The Braves have now won the first two games of their four-game series against the Diamondbacks and will look to complete the sweep on Wednesday.