ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves scratched ace Chris Sale from their playoff-deciding doubleheader nightcap against the New York Mets because of back spasms Monday, a game that also will determine the Arizona Diamondbacks' postseason fate.
After a stunning 8-7 loss in the opener, Sale (18-3, 2.38 ERA) had been expected to get the nod in a game the Braves had to win to earn their seventh straight postseason berth.
But, after manager Brian Snitker kept insisting he was holding back Sale for a possible elimination game, the left-hander was sidelined by back spasms. There was no timetable on when the NL Cy Young Award favorite might be able to go should the Braves make the playoffs.
Though there were questions about a drop in velocity during Sale's most recent start, a five-inning outing against Cincinnati on Sept. 19, general manager Alex Anthopoulos insisted the back issues only cropped up after a throwing session on Sunday.
“He's been throwing all week just to keep his arm going,” Anthopoulos said. “He went out to the cages to throw. He came in after and told us his back was tight. We talked to him about it and he told us he's pitched with worse.”
Anthopoulos said it was decided before the start of the doubleheader that Sale would not be able to pitch Monday.
“The more we talked about it, this was the right thing,” the GM said. “This is not an (injured list) thing. This is a day-to-day thing. If we could have him pitch and it was safe, we would do that. Regardless, we're going to need him where we want to go. We're going to need him going forward."
Journeyman Grant Holmes (2-1, 3.78) made just his seventh start of the season in place of Sale.
An Atlanta win would eliminate the Diamondbacks while a Mets sweep would knock out the Braves and give Arizona a postseason berth.
Having locked up a wild-card slot, the Mets went with Joey Lucchesi (0-1, 10.38) in just his second big league appearance this season. He was added to the roster before the second game.
New York held back Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91) for the Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday.
The Mets also rested shortstop Francisco Lindor, whose two-run, ninth-inning home run led the Mets to victory in the opener and clinched a postseason berth. Lindor returned Friday from a back injury that had sidelined him since Sept. 15.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
