Should Braves be concerned about Chris Sale?

Chris Sale was on the bump last night for the Braves against Zack Wheeler. It was a battle between the top two finishers in the NL Cy Young award race from a year ago, but neither looked like it on Tuesday.

Sale gave up five runs and failed to make it out of the fifth inning. Against a terrific lineup that’s hot right now like the Phillies, that shouldn’t ring any alarm bells. However, Sale’s declining velocity over the outing was worrisome, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman pointed out on Twitter/X. 

“Sale threw a fastball with just 5 of 15 pitches in the 5th and he threw 6 sliders during his 8-pitch 4th. 4-seamer tonight 3rd. inning: 92.1 avg. and touched 93.4 2nd inning: 91.3 avg. and touched 92.7 1st inning: 93.9 avg. and touched 97.3. 2024: 94.9 avg.”

For the season, Chris Sale’s velocity on his fastball is down nearly two miles per hour compared to last year, from 94.8 to 93.2, and opponents are feeling much more comfortable in the batter’s box because of it. He’s averaging less than five innings per start and giving up nearly 12 hits per nine innings. His K-Rate is also down to 25.8%, which is still respectable but nowhere close to the 32.1% he posted last season.

Chris Sale is 36-years-old, and his injury history is well-documented. There’s reason to be skeptical about what to expect moving forward, especially given all of the injuries this rotation has suffered over the last several years. However, Sale did not give any indication after the game that his early season struggles are due to anything physical.

“It just hasn’t clicked yet,” Sale said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “It’s frustrating obviously. We won this game, but I still know I’m going to be staring at the ceiling until about three in the morning. I’ve got some days to figure it out.”

Sale’s words won’t totally ease the concerns of a fan base that has gotten used to the worst-case scenarios on the injury front. It’s undoubtedly something that will be monitored closely every time he toes the rubber, but it’s very possible this is nothing more than some early season rust. Even grizzled future Hall of Famers have to shake off the cobwebs from time to time.