In rubber game vs. Brewers, Braves turn to ace Chris Sale

The visiting Atlanta Braves will turn to ace left-hander Chris Sale when they oppose the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon in the decisive game of a three-game series.

Sale (13-3, 2.68 ERA), the major league leader in victories, will be opposed by right-hander Freddy Peralta (6-6, 3.94), who has been inconsistent as Milwaukee’s No. 1 starter.

The Braves evened the series at a game apiece with a 5-1 victory Tuesday night. Bryce Elder, recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett earlier in the day, allowed one run on five hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one.

Jarred Kelenic, from nearby Waukesha, Wis., celebrated his homecoming with a homer and a double while Austin Riley had four hits to pace Atlanta’s 14-hit attack.

Sale, whose ERA is the lowest in the National League, has bounced back from a bit of a dip in June. After winning seven consecutive starts while pitching to a 1.17 ERA from April 19-May 26, he was 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA over five outings in June. Sale is 3-0 with a 2.28 ERA in four starts this month.

In his most recent outing, Sale allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings but did not get the decision in the Braves’ 3-2, 10-inning road loss to the New York Mets on Thursday.

That defeat was the fifth of what turned into a season-high, six-game losing streak for the Braves. Atlanta has bounced back, winning three of itsplast four to hold a half-game lead for the top NL wild-card spot.

“There’s a certain time that you gotta get it going,” Sale told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after his Thursday start. “Just hoping that it’s sooner rather than later.”

Sale has faced the Brewers just twice in his career, the last time in 2015. He is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in those outings, both coming while he was with the Chicago White Sox.

Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a double and a single on Tuesday. He is hitting .364 (12-for-33) with two homers and five RBIs over that span.

Peralta struggled his last time out, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday. He walked five and struck out four in a 97-pitch outing.

“I should have made better pitches,” Peralta said postgame. “It’s hard to give up runs in the first or second innings because you know your job is to keep the game close as long as we can. That’s the mentality after that, and I feel good because today I was able to do that.”

Peralta is 3-6 with a 4.24 ERA in his past 15 games. He is 0-2 with a 4.43 ERA in four starts this month, allowing 22 hits in 20 1/3 innings, including four homers. He is 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA in six career appearances (five starts) against the Braves.

Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell, who missed the first three months of the season with a finger injury, doubled Tuesday as he continues to round into form. The speedy Mitchell is hitting .353 (12-for-34) over his past 11 games with four doubles, a homer and five runs.

–Field Level Media