Chris Sale Was Sick as a Dog and Still Shut Out the A's. The Angels Are About to Find Out Why That Matters

Chris Sale showed up to the ballpark last Wednesday feeling like absolute garbage. Couldn't keep anything down. His manager Walt Weiss was ready to pull him after three innings, four tops. And then the Atlanta Braves' ace went out and allowed one hit over six innings in a 5-1 win. That one hit? A solo homer by Shea Langeliers. That's it.

Now Sale (2-0, 0.75 ERA) takes the mound Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, and you have to wonder if the Angels understand what's coming.

When Your Best Stuff Isn't There, Hall of Famers Do This

Weiss didn't hold back describing Sale's performance. "He was a mess," the manager said. "True to form, he takes the ball and goes out there and gives us six innings, one hit. Hall of Famers, they just operate differently, and that's what he is. It was an unbelievable performance."

Sale himself knew something was off the moment he started throwing in the bullpen. His fastball was sitting in the low 90s instead of his usual 94-96. Most pitchers panic when that happens. Sale adjusted.

"You're not going to have your best stuff every time, so I really tried to focus on raising my focus," Sale said. "Reaching for more stuff when it's not there is not really a way to win this game. Just really focused on location than trying to out-stuff guys."

He walked nobody and struck out three. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner leaned on his changeup and slider, keeping the A's completely off balance. That's the kind of mastery that separates good from generational.

Sale Owns the Angels Like Few Others

Here's the number that should scare Los Angeles: Sale is 8-0 with a 1.24 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Angels, including nine starts. He's struck out 76 batters over 65 and one-third innings. When this guy takes the ball against this team, things don't end well for the other side.

The Angels will counter with right-hander Jose Soriano (2-0, 0.00 ERA), who is 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA in three previous appearances against Atlanta with two starts. Soriano's been sharp early, but stepping into a game against Sale operating at any level is a tall ask.

The Angels Are Bruised Coming In

Los Angeles did beat Seattle in an 11-inning marathon Sunday on Nolan Schanuel's sacrifice fly, winning 8-7. But they got a scare when Mike Trout left in the eighth after being hit on the back of his left hand by a Casey Legumina fastball. The three-time AL MVP said X-rays came back negative and he's day-to-day with a contusion.

"After looking at how swollen it got, it scared me," Trout said. "So I'm just relieved it's not broken."

That's the Angels' lineup dealing with some bumps and bruises right when they have to face Sale at his most dangerous. Even when he's running on fumes, he's elite. That's a problem for Anaheim on Monday night.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.