When the Atlanta Braves entered the 2026 season, it was evident they would more or less be guided by top-of-the-rotation starter Chris Sale. After all, much of the rotation behind him was sidelined with injuries for weeks.
Gone were Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. That left Sale to carry the load and keep the Braves afloat, at least every fifth day.
Things began as expected for the 37-year-old veteran. He went 2-0 in his first two starts, allowing just one earned run with nine strikeouts across 16 innings.
However, Sale’s second appearance in April against the Anaheim Angels did not yield the same type of result.
Chris Sale Unravels Early in Rough Outing vs. Angels
From the very beginning, things got off to a rough start. On the first pitch of the game, Zach Neto sent a ball 400 feet to tie it 1-1. While Sale settled in for a bit, the fourth inning is where everything fell apart.
The sequence quickly got out of hand: hit by pitch, single, walk, walk, groundout, hit by pitch, single — pushing the score to 4-1.
After briefly stopping the damage, Jo Adell added a two-run home run to extend the lead to 6-1.
But what followed was even more alarming.
After walking Jeimer Candelario on a slider that missed well outside the zone to load the bases, Sale was thrown the ball back from catcher Drake Baldwin. He dropped it. Then, after picking it up, he appeared to spike it into the side of his head — a bizarre and concerning moment.
“Spiking a baseball to your temple (willingly) is one of the most insane things ever to do,” X user Calico Joe posted.
Things didn’t improve from there.
Sale walked in another run, then after recording a groundout, hit Yoán Moncada with a slider to bring in yet another. He immediately showed frustration, bending over with his hands on his knees before slamming the rosin bag into the ground.
Sale finished the outing with five hits, six earned runs, two home runs, two walks and seven strikeouts in four innings. His ERA jumped to 3.94 after the loss.
“I can’t find a single person in this room or anyone I’ve ever played with who would be OK with going out there and doing what I did tonight,” Sale said, via Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s Chad Bishop.
Braves Look to Regroup After Losing Streak Begins
After opening the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball with a 6-2 record and two series wins, the Braves have cooled off as of late.
They’ve now lost three straight, falling to 6-5.
Atlanta has two more games on the road against the Angels before heading back to Truist Park, where they’ll finally get their first off day on April 9 after playing 13 consecutive games to start the 2026 season.
The Braves will begin their second home stand against the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series, followed by their first National League East matchup of the year against the Miami Marlins for another three games.
Sale’s next projected start is April 12 against Cleveland in Atlanta — an opportunity for him to bounce back from one of his worst outings of the young season and help get the Braves back in the win column.
Not to mention less potential head trauma.
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