3) Chris Sale will enter Thursday’s start against the Blue Jays ranked fourth in the Majors (third in the NL) with a 2.01 ERA. The 37-year-old hurler has continued to impress through his first 11 starts. His four-seamer averaged 97 mph during last week’s start at Fenway Park. That’s the highest average he has produced with that pitch in a game since the end of the 2018 season.
With another strong start, Sale could join Roger Clemens (2005), Justin Verlander (2022), Tim Hudson (2014) and Kenny Rogers (2005) as the only pitchers 37 or older to produce a sub 2.00 ERA through the first 12 starts of a season going back to the start of 2000.
4) Matt Olson played in his 844th consecutive game on Wednesday. Barring any postponements, he’ll pass Stan Musial and rank eighth on the all-time list on Aug. 2. There’s at least a chance Olson could eventually rank No. 3 on this list. But he’ll never catch Lou Gehrig, who played 2,130 consecutive games.
With MLB celebrating Lou Gehrig Day on Tuesday, Olson tallied a pair of extra-base hits, including a unique game-winning homer. Given Olson is the game’s current Iron Man, there was at least reason to wonder if the home run was wind-aided or Gehrig-aided?
5) Within a recent newsletter, I wrote that nine Braves are deserving of an All-Star nod. My colleague Jason Foster mentioned Dominic Smith as another potential candidate. Yeah, I know he’s not going to get more votes than Shohei Ohtani as the NL’s designated hitter. But Foster was correct to include Smith as an underdog selection.
Anyhow, my nine candidates include five pitchers: Sale, Bryce Elder, Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez and Dylan Lee. The pitchers aren’t part of the ballot process that began on Thursday.
The Braves position players I think could be elected include Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Olson and Baldwin. Take a look at the ballot and determine which Braves you believe should be in the NL’s starting lineup.
