The pitchers with the major leagues’ top two ERAs will go head to head when the Milwaukee Brewers open a three-game series against the visiting Atlanta Braves on Friday afternoon.
Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski will be opposed by veteran Braves left-hander Chris Sale.
“I don’t really focus on matchups, but it’s going to be fun,” Misiorowski said, according to MLB.com. “It’s like playing (Clayton) Kershaw last year. One of those moments where it’s, ‘Holy cow, you’re in the big leagues.'”
Misiorowski (12-5, 1.75 ERA) is overmatching opponents with a 100-plus mph fastball and a knee-buckling cutter, compiling a big-league-high 210 strikeouts.
“It’s one of those things that you’ve got to defend against the fastball, and when he has that slider that is presented as a strike, it’s just tough to not offer,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s why he’s arguably the best in baseball.”
Sale (12-8, 2.16 ERA) has been solid all season, but has been bitten by a lack of run support in several outings. He has delivered five straight quality starts since the All-Star break but took the loss in the past two.
Most recently, Sale allowed one run and five hits over six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 14, but the Braves took a 2-0 loss.
“Another great job by Chris,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s a shame. You want to win those games when he pitches like that.”
Misiorowski beat the two-time reigning World Series champion Dodgers on Saturday in his most recent start. He held them to one run and five hits in six innings of a 4-1 win.
“I hope that we can give Jacob as much credit and publicity as possible,” Roberts said. “He’s a great kid. He’s great for the game. What he did (against the Dodgers), what they see every time he pitches, you just don’t see it.”
Misiorowski faced Atlanta for the first time in his two-year career on June 19. He took the loss after allowing two runs and five hits in six innings during a 3-2 defeat.
Sale has made six starts against the Brewers in his career, going 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA. He faced them on June 20 in Atlanta and did not receive a decision after yielding two runs, both unearned, in 5 2/3 innings during the Braves’ 4-3 win.
“He’s one of those freaks we come across in this league every once in a while,” Weiss said of the 37-year-old Sale, who won the NL Cy Young Award two years ago. “He’s different.”
Sale is just one of seven pitchers of the live ball era to have an ERA of 2.20 or better through the first 22 starts of a season at age 37 or older. He is the first on that list since Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in 2022.
“It took a lot of people to get me to this position,” Sale said. “You know my family, some friends, a lot of people in Boston and a lot of people in Atlanta. I definitely appreciate being able to be where I’m at now. I’m just thankful. I’m going to try to ride this wave as long as I can.”
–Field Level Media
