Chris Sale’s last night against the Angels was supposed to be another reminder of how well he usually handles them. Instead, the Braves left Angel Stadium with a 6-2 loss on April 6, 2026, after Sale was chased by a fourth-inning rally and a fifth-inning homer that turned a 1-1 game into a road defeat.
Drake Baldwin opened the game with a solo homer for Atlanta, and Zach Neto answered on Sale’s first pitch, sending a 98-mph fastball over the left-field wall to tie it 1-1. Sale then settled in, striking out six straight batters and retiring nine in a row before the game turned on him in the fourth.
That inning brought three runs across, and Jo Adell added a two-run homer in the fifth as Sale finished with six earned runs, his most since the Athletics scored eight against him on June 1, 2024. He threw 77 pitches before leaving and took the loss after entering the day 8-0 in 11 career appearances against the Angels and 2-0 this season with just one run allowed.
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Soriano made sure the night never swung back. José Soriano struck out 10 and lowered his ERA to 0.45, backing up the warning Braves manager Walt Weiss gave before the game when he called him “one of the best-kept secrets in the game” and said he had “some of the best stuff you’ll see in this league.” Weiss also said it was hard not to give credit to an opposing pitcher when he deserved it.
Sale did not hide from what happened. He called it a constant battle from the start, said his command was off, and said the Angels took advantage of every chance he gave them. For Atlanta, the start that looked like a familiar edge against a familiar opponent became a sharp reminder that even the best track records can disappear fast.
