Braves Hand Game 2 to Ray Kerr While Chris Sale Rests Up for Game 3
Bob Nightengale reported Kerr will start Game 2 and Sale will start Game 3.
The Atlanta Braves are officially treating their postseason pitching staff like a chaotic group project, handing the ball to Ray Kerr for Game 2 of the NLDS while saving Chris Sale for Game 3.
Bob Nightengale confirmed the move, which sounds a little unhinged until you remember how the wild card round played out. Kerr was brilliant against the , earning himself a promotion from bullpen arm to the guy tasked with keeping Atlanta's season from spiraling.
The Braves dropped Game 1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3, meaning tonight is essentially a must-win if they want to avoid a 2-0 hole. Throwing Kerr into the fire against that lineup is a massive gamble, but it is the exact kind of high-variance move that defines modern October baseball.
Meanwhile, Chris Sale is getting an extra day to recover after coming out of the bullpen on Thursday. Using a veteran ace in relief to close out a wild card series is the baseball equivalent of using a sports car to tow a boat. It gets the job done, but you are definitely going to need to check the engine afterward.
For anyone looking at the pitching props tonight, Kerr's usage is the ultimate wild card. He might give you five spotless innings, or he might be handing the ball to the manager before the stadium finishes selling its first round of beers.
If Kerr can survive the Dodgers tonight, the Braves get to head back to Atlanta with Sale on the mound for Game 3. If he gets shelled, Sale will be pitching to save their season instead of taking control of the series.