The Atlanta Braves have a number of questions in their starting pitching rotation, but Chris Sale's performance is not one of them. At 37 years old, Sale is still unquestionably one of the best pitchers in the entire sport. Through two outings in 2026, the former Cy Young winner has recorded a 0.75 ERA, 0.583 WHIP and nine strikeouts.

Wins and losses do not mean what they used to. Still, Sale has earned two wins already this year, so he is clearly impacting his team in a crucial manner.

So, how is Sale still finding so much success? Why is he not displaying any signs of slowing down at 37 years old?

Sale is a pitcher who finds success on the mound even when he does not have his best stuff. Nine strikeouts through two games is low for Sale's standards, yet he has still been incredible overall.

Sale is allowing some hard contact this year, but it is rare that it leads to a hit. Batters are hitting just .105 against the veteran southpaw. He has held hitters to a .220 batting average or lower in each of the past two seasons as well.

Sale's ability to limit base runners and hits overall means he can get away with more mistakes than other pitchers. A solo home run is not a big deal. A three-run homer is a problem. 

As mentioned, there has been some hard contact against Sale this year. Only 17.2 percent of balls in play against Sale have been line drives, though. Meanwhile, almost 50 percent (48.3 percent) of balls in play against him have been ground balls.

The strikeouts are going to come -- he ranked in the 95th percentile in strikeout percentage last season. Sale is still finding elite success despite his lack of strikeouts in 2026 though, and his ability to keep the ball on the ground and not allow many hits and baserunners have played a pivotal role without question.

The Braves have a number of starting pitching injuries at the moment. Atlanta is hoping to compete in 2026 despite the circumstances. Chris Sale is going to do everything he can to help his team upset expectations and make a postseason push. With Sale pitching every fifth day, the Braves will remain confident overall.

The Braves' next game is scheduled for 9:40 PM EST against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.