Chris Sale Strengthens All-Star Case, Masterful in Braves 3-1 Win Over Giants

The Atlanta Braves didn't have a player voted as a starter to the All-Star Game, but Chris Sale is making his case to alleviate that.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale struck out nine San Francisco Giants in a 3-1 win on Wednesday. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

A year after sending a franchise-record eight players to the All-Star Game, the Atlanta Braves were shut out of starting roles by the voters.

However, that doesn't mean the Braves won't have a starter when the game cranks up Tuesday, July 16th in Arlington, Texas. Chris Sale is making a strong case to be the starting pitcher for the National League.

Sale picked up his league-leading 11th win on Wednesday, striking out nine as the Braves topped the San Francisco Giants 3-1.

"it's awesome; I'm happy for him," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Sale's All-Star chances after the game. "It's just been really good, I'll tell you what it's been fun watching him compete pitch and how he goes about it. I don't know that it can be much better. But honestly, I mean, he's just been strong all year and like one of the most competitive guys I've ever been around."

Sale lowered his ERA to 2.71 after his performance against the Giants, good for third in the league behind Ranger Suárez (2.27) and Cristopher Sánchez (2.41) of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Suárez is 10-2 on the season, one-win behind Sale's 11-3 mark, so he might be the favorite when it comes to starting the All-Star Game, but the Braves could be well represented.

Max Fried is fifth in the NL with a 2.91 ERA and a 7-3 record, and Reynaldo López's 1.83 ERA leads the league as he bounces in and out of having enough innings to qualify for the leader board. López has 83.2 innings pitched to 99.2 and 96.0 from Sale and Fried respectively.

Sale's ability to consistently eat innings with his starts is another boon to Snitker.

"It's big when they cover innings," said Snitker. "It's huge for everything involved, so having him out there today was really good. He's been on a run and throwing the ball extremely. I'm just glad we scored some runs for him."

The Braves have been getting closer to a full contingent of arms, and it's allowing Snitker to have more flexibility in games.

"It's very manageable now," said Snitker. "You get Mint back (pitcher A.J. Minter) and now, all of a sudden you got your three mid-inning, leverage, guys, and Iggy. You can mix and match really good when you get starters, covering most of the game."

The Braves play the rubber match of the series against the Giants at 7:20 Thursday night. There will be fireworks and a concert after the game.