Atlanta Braves star pitcher Chris Sale was as effective as the team could've asked for in his first two starts of the season, as he went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. However, the 37-year-old had a night to forget during Atlanta's 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

Sale gave up six earned runs on five hits over four-plus innings, with seven strikeouts against two walks. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award-winner gave up a homer to Zach Neto on his first pitch of the game, a fastball down the middle that the shortstop launched 400 feet to left. The 6-foot-6, 180-pounder then retired the next nine hitters before running into trouble in the fourth inning.

Sale hit Jorge Soler with a low slider to start the frame before Jo Adell singled to right. The hurler then walked Jeimer Candelario and Logan O'Hoppe before Adell was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice hit by Oswald Peraza.

After that, Yoan Moncada brought in Candelario on a hit by pitch before Bryce Teodosio plated O'Hoppe on an infield single. Sale escaped the rest of the inning without giving up another run, and the Braves were down 4-1 at that point.

The nine-time All-Star came back for the fifth inning, as his outing was still salvageable at that point. However, manager Walt Weiss yanked him after he gave up a leadoff single to Soler and a two-run homer to Adell. 

Although Sale's start unraveled in the fourth inning, his streak of nine straight batters retired after Neto's leadoff homer in the first was right in line with the rest of his work this season. The three-time strikeout leader allowed just one earned run over 12 innings in his first two starts.

There's no reason to worry about Sale moving forward, as even the best pitchers have rough innings. The 2018 World Series champion has logged a sub-3.00 ERA in two straight seasons, which covers his entire Braves tenure thus far.

Sale won both NL Cy Young and NL Comeback Player of the Year honors after going 18-3 with a 2.48 ERA over 29 starts in 2024. The Florida native made just 31 starts over the previous four seasons due to a variety of injuries, but he returned to elite status after the Boston Red Sox traded him to Atlanta in December 2023.

Sale then made just 21 appearances (20 starts) in 2025 due to a rib ailment, but still logged a 2.58 ERA. As long as the future Hall of Famer stays healthy, he's a safe bet to be one of baseball's best pitchers again this year.

Up next for the Braves is a rematch with the Angels on Tuesday at 9:38 p.m. ET.