Walt Weiss Praises Chris Sale In Crucial Win Over NL East Rival

The Atlanta Braves earned a Friday night 5-2 victory over the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies on the heels of Chris Sale's dominant outing in which he struck out seven batters while giving up two earned runs and a single walk.

Following the matchup, the 10-year All-star garnered praise from manager Walt Weiss who noted his consistency and competitiveness even when his pitches don't play out like they usually do.

"First game of a big series, having him on the mound, it's what you want," Weiss said, according to MLB.com. "He never disappoints. He goes out there and he's great, basically every time out."

He added: "I wouldn't say he had his best stuff, but even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's still great."

Ronald Acuña Jr. doubled in the first while advancing to third, but that was it for Atlanta when Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sánchez retired three-straight Braves in Drake Baldwin, Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson.

Sale got off to a strong start as well, retiring Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner while getting Bryce Harper to chase an 83-mph slider outside of the zone.

The Braves quickly gained traction in the second as Lane Thomas scored off a one-run single by Austin Riley while a groundout by Ha-Seong Kim allowed Mauricio Dubón to reach home. Riley scored as well off another RBI single by Acuña Jr.

Still, the Phillies broke through against Sale that same inning when Alec Bohm drove in Luis Arráez with an RBI double while cutting Atlanta's lead to one in the fourth with a solo homer to left field.

Even then, Sale remained unfazed as he fanned a few more hitters to cap off a dominant six-inning stretch.

Dubón sealed the Phillies' fate in the eighth with a two-run shot to left-center field for a crucial win that improved Atlanta to 84-57 overall.

Sale has now gone 14-9 and compiled a 2.10 ERA while striking out 184 batters through 150 innings of work.

This would also be Sale's first start since Aug. 8 in which the Braves' offense mustered more than one run, a positive sign with the team almost certain to make the MLB playoffs and the regular season coming to an end this month.

Furthermore, Sale remains in close contention for the NL Cy Young Award alongside the Milwaukee Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski who has slightly edged him with an impressive 1.97 ERA.

Sale should get his next opportunity to take the mound during the Braves' upcoming series next week back at Truist Park against the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the meantime, Atlanta will have their sights set on securing an even series split this evening at 6:05 p.m. EDT when Martín Pérez toes the rubber against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.