The Atlanta Braves will not start left-hander Chris Sale in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. Instead, left-hander Ray Kerr will start for the Braves in Game 2. The Braves used Sale twice in the Wild Card Series, starting him in the first game and bringing him into Game 3 for a 1.1-inning relief appearance with a four-run lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.
On just two full days of rest, the Braves opted not to test his arm. Sale allowed three runs through his two appearances against the Phillies, pitching a total of 7.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. He had a fantastic regular season, striking out 200 batters for the ninth time in his career while posting a 2.16 ERA — the third-best mark of his career.
Sale has faced the Dodgers twice in the postseason up to this point, with both appearances coming with the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 World Series. He threw four innings in the first appearance, allowing three earned runs while striking out seven, and made one more appearance in relief, striking out three batters in one inning as the Red Sox won the World Series. Kerr made just nine appearances for the Braves during the regular season, but established himself as a key player during the Wild Card Series.
In his sole appearance this postseason, Kerr threw 3.1 scoreless innings in an elimination game while striking out two batters. During the regular season, Kerr appeared nine times after coming up to the team midway through August. Through those nine games, Kerr threw 18.1 innings while allowing just three runs for a 1.47 ERA with 11 strikeouts.
Sale is obviously the Braves' best pitcher, but he had nothing but good things to say about Kerr after his performance in the third game of the Wild Card series. "He put it on the line for us tonight," Sale said. "We don't win this game without him.
He set the tone early." The Braves will hope Kerr can do the same in the second game of the NLDS, which begins at Dodger Stadium on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
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