Braves' Chris Sale goes on 15-day IL with fractured rib cage suffered on diving catch
Chris Sale made an excellent diving stop on a grounder by Juan Soto for the first out of the ninth inning to finish off his start against the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
Yet going hard to the ground cost the veteran left-hander a trip to the injured list. The Atlanta Braves announced Saturday that Sale is going to the 15-day IL with a fractured ribcage. The injury occurred as Sale pitched his best game of the season, with 8 2/3 scoreless innings, five hits, one walk allowed and seven strikeouts.
Advertisement
Sale actually stayed in the game after the play to strike out Pete Alonso on four pitches before leaving the game after allowing a bloop single to Brandon Nimmo. He threw 116 pitches overall, 85 for strikes.
The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has a 2.52 ERA (third among NL starting pitchers) and 5-4 record in 15 starts, compiling 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings.
With Wednesday's 5-0 win, the Braves (34-40) had victories in six of their past eight games, part of a stretch during which Atlanta won seven of 10. Perhaps more importantly for the NL East standings, it was the fifth straight loss in what's become a seven-game losing streak for the Mets that's knocked them out of first place (45-31) in the division.
Advertisement
Sale's IL stint is backdated to Thursday, which would make him eligible to return July 3. However, a rib injury could keep him out for a longer period. Sale suffered a stress fracture in his right rib cage before the 2022 season that sidelined him for more than three months. This current injury appears to be to Sale's left rib cage, based on how he landed.
The Braves had a strong top three to their starting rotation with Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider, who recently returned after recovering from elbow surgery. Grant Holmes (3-6, 3.97 ERA), Bryce Elder (2-3, 4.45) and Didier Fuentes (0-1, 7.20) currently fill out the rest of Atlanta's starting staff. Atlanta lost AJ Smith-Shawver to Tommy John surgery earlier this month.
Advertisement
Prior to Sale's last start, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos shot down any idea of Sale being traded.
'Will. Not. Happen. Bold, italicize it, caps," Anthopoulos said during an interview on Atlanta's 680 The Fan, via MLB.com. He also cited the Braves having an $18 million club option for 2026 on Sale as a reason why he won't be dealt.
To fill Sale's spot on the active roster, the Braves recalled reliever Austin Cox from Triple-A Gwinnett. The left-hander had a 4.85 ERA in 11 appearances for the Stripers. Atlanta signed him after he was released by the Kansas City Royals earlier in the season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Cavaliers defend their diamond
A new face was on the mound for the Eau Claire Cavaliers on Friday night. Eli Eckerson drove to Carson Park from the Twin Cities to fill in as an arm for the Cavaliers. Eckerson and the Cavaliers offense got the job done defeating the Marshfield Chapparals 10-3 in a non-conference match up at Carson Park. Advertisement He threw a complete game, and had a no-hitter heading into the fifth inning. Eckerson recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed six hits. 'A former teammate from college called me up and said an arm was needed, so I showed up to work,' Eckerson said. 'It was a lot of fun getting to know the fellas in the dugout.' Eckerson is not on the Cavaliers roster. He plays in the Twins Cities, but hopefully this is not the last time he puts on that Cavaliers jersey. After throwing nine innings, he said he was feeling a little sore and ice is definitely going to be needed. The Cavaliers took an early 3-0 lead with RBIs from Brayton Hillman and Cade Mueller. Marshfield tied the game in sixth. Advertisement 'It was kind of tight there for a couple of innings, but the excitement took over once we started rallying in the seventh,' Erickson said. 'I was hooting and hollering in the dugout and I didn't even know half the names when I was hollering.' Logan Hesselman and Thillman started up the seventh with singles. Xavier Bembnister put the Cavaliers ahead with an RBI single and Sam Knickerbocker helped knock in four RBIs. The Cavaliers tallied 10 hits against Marshfield. Bembnister was 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI. 'I just try to turn the mind off as much as possible and go up there with the mindset of see the ball hit the ball,' Bembnister said. Advertisement Bemnister is the son of head coach Ryan Bembnister, who was not in attendance. He said it was an interesting feeling not having his father in the dugout. 'This might be the first game in all five years that I've been on the Cavaliers where he hasn't been at the ballpark,' Bembnister said. 'Maybe it takes a little bit of pressure off because he's on me more than the other coaches, but I do enjoy him in the dugout.' The Cavaliers sit at 11-4 on the season. Marshfield is in the Dairyland League with a 3-3 record. Assistant coach Brian Mhyre was the voice of the team on Friday night. He said coaching third base felt the same as being on the first base side. Advertisement 'We don't do anything, the players do it all," Mhyre said. 'They're between the lines, we're just facilitators. We make up the lineup card and I'll shake it up a little bit different than what Ryan does, but every guy is dependable in the dugout.' Mhyre credited Eckerson for making the drive and showing up to compete for the team. 'We just picked him up tonight, and he bailed us out,' Mhyre said. The Cavaliers will host another non-conference team Sunday afternoon at Carson Park. Mhyre said these non-conference games are great opportunities to get players in the field. With the offense in a slow rhythm, he said the team can get swings in and strengthen their confidence. 'We are looking to tune-up for June 29,' Mhyre said. 'The guys had fun tonight and they showed up ready to play their game.'
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
🥇 Copa highlights: 'Shoot, Everaldo' and world's toughest Cariocão
The second round of the first phase of the Club World Cup is coming to an end, with only two groups left to play this Sunday (22). In the four games on Saturday (21), there was no shortage of excitement, with three matches having decisive comebacks. Only River Plate 0 x 0 Monterrey was monotonous. Advertisement You can sign up for DAZN to watch all the FIFA Club World Cup games for free. So, let's talk about what went viral on the day of the World Cup! 🍕 In a pizzeria line Before talking specifically about the day's games, we have John Textor, owner of Botafogo's SAF, celebrating the good campaign of Glorioso AMASSING a pizza, in a bar, in Venice Beach, in Los Angeles. In an animated chat with River Plate fans, the American businessman - who had to show his cell phone to prove he was indeed the owner of Botafogo - took a wave with the Europeans. "South Americans are kicking the Europeans' butt," said Textor, while laughing with the Argentines. 🥵 Mountain climate The strong heat of the United States summer has been one of the main difficulties reported by players from European clubs. Advertisement In the victory by 4 x 3 over Mamelodi, Borussia Dortmund's reserve players stayed in the locker room during the first half to watch the game in the air conditioning. The Germans couldn't handle the 31°C (feeling 36°C) heat in Cincinnati. 🤯 SHOOT, EVERALDO The fans suffered more than expected, but Fluminense defeated Ulsan HD 4 x 2. And, during the drama of the "comeback", striker Everaldo was targeted by the tricolores. After the center-forward missed another good chance to finish, Fluminense fans chanted "Chuta, Everaldo! Chuta, Everaldo!" The lack of patience is directly related to the opening game, when Eve had the chance to guarantee victory over Borussia Dortmund, but - face to face with the goalkeeper - preferred to pass to Cannobio. 📹 Privileged view If Everaldo, apparently, is "afraid to shoot", Jhon Adolfo Arias Andrade knows how to finish and very well. Advertisement The "Pelé of Colombia" opened the scoring with a great free kick, in the corner of the goalkeeper, and the referee saw everything up close. Check out the INSANITY of this referee's camera! 😲 Unfriendly climate The 0 x 0 between River Plate and Monterrey was, really, a game with few emotions. However, before the ball rolled, emotions were running high in the sector where most of the Argentine fans were concentrated. This is because a citizen thought it was a good idea to watch the game wearing a Boca Juniors jersey in the middle of the River Plate crowd. So, it was like this: reinforced security, all kinds of insults, the embarrassment of having to take off the jersey and still being escorted out of the stands. 😅 Tite was right! The second round has already ended for all Brazilian clubs, which lead their groups in the Club World Cup. Advertisement And Rio de Janeiro is very well represented by Botafogo, Flamengo, and Fluminense. Social media users then remembered Tite's statement, when he was the coach of Rubro-Negro, that the Campeonato Carioca was the most difficult in Brazil. Well, by the LOGIC of the World Cup qualification table, Cariocão is already the most difficult tournament in the world! This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ohio State softball 2026 conference schedule unveiled
It was an overachieving year for the Ohio State softball team this past season. Despite losing a lot of key players, new head coach Kirin Kumar was able to lead the team to an offensive explosion in which the Buckeyes led the country in home runs, runs scored, and a few other categories. OSU ended up tying for third place in the Big Ten and found its way into the NCAA Tournament. Now, the trick will be to continue that momentum and continue the climb in the Big Ten and nationally. To do it, Ohio State will have to navigate a Big Ten schedule that now includes West Coast power teams like UCLA and Oregon. Advertisement This past week, the Big Ten unveiled the conference schedule for the 2026 softball season, so we got a look at who the Buckeyes will play next season and where they will do it. Ohio State will host four home series in the conference and hit the road for four others. Here's how it'll all look next season. Ohio State 2026 Big Ten Softball Schedule March 6-8, 2026: Iowa (Columbus, Ohio)March 13-15, 2026: at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.)March 27-29, 2026: Michigan State (Columbus, Ohio)April 3-5, 2026: at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.)April 10-12, 2026: at Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.)April 17-19, 2026: Penn State (Columbus, Ohio)April 24-26, 2026: at Oregon (Eugene, Ore.)May 1-3, 2026: Washington (Columbus, Ohio) It's still a long time before we see any of these games, but it's nice to see how everything will look next year. The nonconference schedule will be released at a later day. Advertisement Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X. This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State softball unveils its 2026 Big Ten schedule
