With Spencer Strider set to miss extended time due to an elbow injury, possibly the entire season, and Max Fried having major issues in the first inning in both of his starts this season, the Braves rotation has been looking for a temporary savior, and so far that's been Chris Sale.
Chris Sale's first start of the year came after the Braves bullpen was forced to throw 8 1/3 innings in the wake of Max Fried's first implosion, and Sale threw 5 1/3 innings of quality baseball.
On Sunday, making his first home start, he left to a standing ovation after another outing of 5 1/3 innings in which he delivered six strikeouts and no walks.
Sale was brought to the Braves with many not knowing exactly what version of the veteran pitcher the Braves were getting, but so far he's been an incredibly important piece of the rotation in delivering solid starts and eating innings. His fastball velocity is up almost a mile per hour from last season, and 13 strikeouts on 10 1/3 innings, with only two walks, has been much-needed success for Atlanta.