Chris Sale's 11 strikeouts lead the Atlanta Braves to a 7-1 win over the Brewers on June 10, snapping a 7-game losing streak. Recap the dominant performance.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Finally. After a week of frustration, dropped games, and mounting anxiety, the Atlanta Braves remembered how to win. Led by an absolutely masterful performance from ace Chris Sale, the Braves snapped their painful seven-game losing streak with a decisive 7-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a complete team effort, with the bats coming alive and the bullpen shutting the door, providing a much-needed sigh of relief for the team and its fans.
Chris Sale has allowed just four runs over 33 innings in his last five starts, posting a minuscule 1.09 ERA in that span.
When you need a losing streak snapped, you hand the ball to your ace. Chris Sale delivered that and more. The lefty was simply untouchable, carving up the Brewers lineup for seven brilliant innings. He racked up a season-high 11 strikeouts while allowing just one run on five hits. It's just the latest in a string of dominant starts for Sale, who has looked every bit the Cy Young contender the Braves hoped for. His command was pinpoint, his slider was wicked, and he gave a struggling team the foundation it desperately needed to build a win.
While Sale held the Brewers down, the offense took a moment to get going. But once they did, they made it count. Ronald Acuña Jr. ignited the rally in the fifth, tying the game with a solo blast. Moments later, Matt Olson broke the game open with a go-ahead two-run homer. In the midst of the action, second baseman Ozzie Albies etched his name in the Braves history books, lacing a single to left in the eighth for his 1,000th career hit. It was a fantastic moment for the fan-favorite veteran. The scoring was capped off by a two-run shot from Eli White and a two-run single from Marcell Ozuna, turning a tight game into a rout.
Perhaps one of the most encouraging signs of the night was the performance of the bullpen. A major source of trouble during the losing streak, the relievers were perfect on Monday. Raisel Iglesias, who had a nightmare outing his last time out, came in and delivered a clean, confidence-boosting eighth inning. Dylan Lee followed suit with a perfect ninth, striking out the side to seal the victory. In total, the bullpen retired all six batters they faced, fanning four of them. It was exactly the kind of shutdown performance needed to restore some faith in the relief corps.
One win doesn't erase a seven-game slide, but it's a massive step in the right direction. The challenge now is to build on it. The Braves will send right-hander Grant Holmes to the mound on Tuesday to face Milwaukee's Quinn Priester. Can the team string together another complete performance and turn one victory into a new winning streak? Monday's win felt like an exhale; now it's time to start climbing again.
