Braves Game 3 Pitching Plan
Braves Rest Strategy Pays Off as Chris Sale Scheduled for NLDS Game 3 Start
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Key Points
1
Sale finished the regular season 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA.
2
Sale made 25 of his 27 regular-season starts with at least one extra day of rest; his Game 3 start would come exactly one week after his most recent start in the Wild Card round.
3
Atlanta’s bullpen game was handled by Ray Kerr, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias, whose combined work helped secure the win.
4
Weiss said that when Bryce Harper came to bat with two outs in the ninth, the traditional relievers available were Victor Mederos, Brent Suter and Iglesias, who would have been trying to record a four-out save after pitching on three consecutive days.
The Atlanta Braves' gamble on a bullpen game in Game 2 paid off. They defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Wednesday, tying the NL Division Series at one game apiece. Now Chris Sale is fully rested and ready for Game 3, giving the Braves what manager Walt Weiss called a "best-case scenario" Journal Gazette.
Weiss held Sale out of Game 2 despite the left-hander volunteering to pitch. The decision prioritized extra rest for Sale, who thrives with additional time between starts. Sale will face Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3, exactly one week after his last outing in the Wild Card round.
Weiss Bets on Sale's Rest Over Game 2 Urgency
Sale finished the regular season 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA. During those 27 starts, he received extra rest before 25 of them Yahoo Sports. The pattern showed Sale pitched better when given time to recover between appearances. Starting him in Game 2 risked diminishing his effectiveness for both that game and a potential Game 5 later in the series.
Weiss faced criticism for the bold choice, but the strategy worked. Atlanta's bullpen handled Game 2 without Sale, with Ray Kerr, Robert Suarez, Didier Fuentes and Raisel Iglesias combining to secure the win. The team avoided overusing Iglesias, who had pitched three consecutive days.
Sale's Week-Long Rest Creates Ideal Setup for Game 3
Sale's Game 3 start will come exactly seven days after his most recent appearance in the Wild Card Series Yahoo Sports. This timeline matches the pattern that made him most effective during the regular season. The extra rest allows him to enter a crucial playoff game at peak condition.
Facing Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes the matchup significant. Both teams are sending their best pitchers, with Sale ready to deliver the kind of performance the Braves need to seize control of the series heading back to Atlanta.
Bullpen Game Strategy Shields Overworked Relief Arms
Victor Mederos, Brent Suter and Iglesias were the traditional closers available for Game 2. But Iglesias had already pitched on three straight days Journal Gazette. Using him for a potential four-out save would have left the bullpen vulnerable for Game 3. The bullpen game approach preserved fresh arms for the rest of the series.
This decision proved decisive when Bryce Harper came to bat with two outs in the ninth. The Braves avoided the risk of a worn-out Iglesias facing the Dodgers' star hitter. Instead, Atlanta protected its relief depth while banking on Sale's well-rested arm for the next critical game.
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