Chris Sale leads the way in 3-1 victory over Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park on April 18, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Heather Barry/Getty Images) | Getty Images It was a battle of the lefty aces in Philly on Saturday, as Chris Sale led the Braves against Cristopher Sanchez and the Phillies, with Atlanta seeking to secure a series win. Ronald Acuna led off the game with a 107 MPH, 404 foot fly ball that landed for an out due to a Brandon MArsh robbery and perhaps the 2026 ball design instead of a home run or an extra-base-hit that it very easily could have been.

Notably, in the second, Austin Riley hit a ball at over 111 MPH that landed for a single, but wasn’t able to come around to score. The scoring got kicked off in the bottom of the second, as Phillies’ rookie Felix Reyes hit a 348 foot home run off of Chris Sale. Fortunately, Atlanta’s offense got a spark with a two out single from Drake Baldwin with some help in the form of an error that they converted into three runs with a walk and two soft singles.

There was a lot of fortune involved in this sequence for Atlanta. Sale worked around a Schwarber single to consolidate the lead in the home third, striking out Harper along the way. Ronald hit a 109 MPH single in the fourth, as he continues to hit the ball very hard, but the Braves were unable to bring him around.

Ozzie managed a bloop single in the fifth after a clean inning from Sale, but the Braves were again unable to bring him around. Sale attempted and nearly converted an incredible jump throw on a swinging bunt to lead off the fifth, but the runner was erased on a double-play from Marsh regardless on the way to another scoreless frame. Jonah Heim of all people created a threat with a one out double in the sixth out of the eight hole.