Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves

Chris Sale threw a 100-plus-mph pitch for the first time since 2018 and he constructed his first shutout since 2019, while helping the Braves complete a three-game sweep of the Dodgers with a 1-0 win on Thursday night at Truist Park. “The look in his eye is always pretty pretty good, but it was even a little bit different tonight,” manager Walt Weiss said. Along with having a chance to secure a series sweep of the two-time reigning World Series champions, Sale was emotionally stirred by Thursday’s passing of Ashley Foss, a 42-year-old family friend, whose father has handled finances for the Braves pitcher over the past couple decades.  “She was a huge Braves fan,” Sale said. “She watched all these games. It felt weird out there, because I felt like I had a little something else helping me tonight. There's no question, that was her out there.” There was certainly something special brewing as Sale scattered five hits and matched a season-high 11 strikeouts, while tossing his first shutout since he helped the Red Sox blank the Royals on June 5, 2019. The 37-year-old hurler also unleashed what stand as his two hardest-thrown pitches since ‘18.  Adding to his motivation was the fact that the Braves had just three available relievers, with closer Raisel Iglesias being the only high-leverage option. Needless to say this was a good time for Sale to produce the team’s first shutout since Max Fried blanked the Marlins at home on April 23, 2024.   “That’s probably one of the top two pitching performances I’ve seen during my time in the big leagues,” Braves catcher Drake Baldwin said. “From pitch one, he was just locked in and executing pitches. It’s pretty incredible.”