NIGHTMARE: Chris Sale is headed to the IL

The injury happened in the top of the ninth inning, when Chris Sale dove for a ball and made a great play for the second out of the inning.

It was the type of effort play in a 5-0 game that should be commended. Sale was sending a message to the entire team, and it was heard loud and clear. Unfortunately, in hindsight, it would have been a lot better had he just let it go for an infield single.

This is a perfect microcosm of the last year-and-a-half for the Braves. They simply cannot catch a break, and it’s clearly taken a toll on everyone in the clubhouse. They’ve managed to overcome a lot in the past, but this is asking so much more. No pitcher has been better than Chris Sale over the last six weeks. He’s firmly entrenched in a battle for the Cy Young award again and is possibly the most well-respected leader on the team. Losing him for any amount of time is a gut punch, and a fractured rib cage doesn’t exactly sound like something he’ll be returning from in 2-3 weeks.

How the Braves replace Sale in the rotation remains to be seen. Obviously, the decision to call up Didier Fuentes so soon didn’t just come out of nowhere. He looked decent in his MLB debut and could warrant another opportunity, but the options are few and far between when it comes to starting arms.