Chris Sale turned in another magnificent performance, but the Atlanta Braves offense was already on the trip home to Atlanta in a 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Thursday’s game marked his first start against his old team as a member of the Braves. He struck out Tommy Pham looking and then got Andrew Vaughn to ground out. However, Luis Robert Jr. jumped on a first pitch slider and drove it out to give the White Sox an early 1-0 lead.
The Braves struggled to get anything going against Chicago starter Chad Kuhl, who was pitching on three days rest. Kuhl walked Austin Riley to start the second, but he was erased as Sean Murphy bounced into a double play.
The Braves missed out on an opportunity in the fourth. Ozzie Albies led off the inning with a double. That would end Kuhl’s afternoon as the White Sox went to their bullpen for Justin Anderson. Marcell Ozuna walked to put runners at first and second, but Anderson retired Matt Olson, Riley and Murphy to end the inning.
Atlanta again got the leadoff man on in the fifth as Forrest Wall reached on a bunt single against former Braves prospect Jared Shuster. However, Adam Duvall struck out and Orlando Arcia grounded into yet another double play.
Sale settled in for the Braves after Robert’s home run. He allowed a leadoff single to Danny Mendick in the third but retired the next three hitters in order to leave him stranded. Robert singled to start the fourth, but Sale got Eloy Jimenez to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. He struck out Paul DeJong to end the threat.
Sale struck out four straight between the fifth and sixth innings before Vaughn doubled off the wall in right. However, Sale got Robert to ground out to Arcia on a close play to end the inning.
Atlanta’s offense continued to struggle against Shuster who retired seven-straight hitters before walking Murphy with two outs in the seventh. He got Wall to fly out to left to complete three scoreless innings of relief.
Sale came back out for the seventh and retired the side in order and would exit having allowed four hits, a walk and one run over seven innings. He recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts while throwing 105 pitches.
The Braves threatened again in the eighth against White Sox reliever John Brebbia but again were unable to come away with a run. Arcia got things started with a one out single. He was replaced by Zack Short as a pinch-hitter, who advanced to second on a walk by Jarred Kelenic. After a mound visit, Ozzie Albies got ahead 2-0 in the count but popped out for the second out. Ozuna flew out to the base of the wall in right to leave the runners stranded.
Daysbel Hernandez retired the side in order in the eighth. Michael Kopech struck out Olson and then got Riley to ground out to start the ninth. Down to their last strike, Murphy sent a grounder to short that Paul DeJong booted for an error. However, there would be no late game heroics though as pinch-hitter Travis d’Arnaud flew out to center to end the game.
Atlanta’s offense managed just three hits in a disappointing performance. They were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base.
The loss drops the Braves to 44-35 for the season. After beginning their road trip with a series win against the Yankees, they end it by dropping three of four to the Cardinals and the White Sox. They will return home to Truist Park on Friday where they will begin a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
