Chris Sale Shutout Sweeps Dodgers 1-0

Chris Sale struck out 11 in a five-hit shutout as the Atlanta Braves beat Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on Thursday night, completing a three-game sweep. The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times both had the same finishing line. Sale (13-9) threw 109 pitches, 80 for strikes, and did not walk a batter. His ERA dropped to 2.06. Drake Baldwin's first-pitch homer off Yamamoto was the only run of the night.

It was Sale's first complete game in more than seven years and his first shutout since June 5, 2019, when he threw a three-hitter for Boston at Kansas City, the AP wrote. The 10-time All-Star posted his fourth double-digit strikeout game this season and the 95th of his career, seventh in major league history. He even hit 100.1 mph on a fastball to Shohei Ohtani in the third, his first triple-digit pitch since July 2018 with the Red Sox.

How did Chris Sale shut out the Dodgers?

He never left. A sellout crowd of 39,650 cheered when the 37-year-old walked out for the ninth with relievers ready. Manager Walt Weiss stuck with him after Freddie Freeman singled leading off the inning. Teoscar Hernandez popped out. Pinch-runner Alek Thomas was thrown out at second on Miguel Rojas' fielder's-choice grounder. Sale struck out Alex Call for his 17th complete game and fourth career shutout, the AP wrote.

Yamamoto (12-8) was almost as sharp. He allowed four hits and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Baldwin lined his first pitch into the right-field Chop House restaurant. It was Baldwin's fourth leadoff homer this season and his 22nd homer overall. That was the whole scoring. Atlanta's season series against Los Angeles finished 5-1.

What the Braves sweep means for the Dodgers

The NL East-leading Braves are 79-55. The Dodgers are 80-54 and still sit atop the NL West, the AP wrote. The Times added that Los Angeles has been swept three times this month and is 1-12 since late July against teams currently in a playoff spot. One run over nine innings against Sale is that stretch in miniature. Ha-Seong Kim, hitting .078, started after his pinch-hit walk-off single in Wednesday's 6-5 win, covered in the Kim walk-off recap. He singled and stole second Thursday. The bat still did not have to do more than Baldwin's first swing.

Atlanta sends Grant Holmes (8-5, 3.64) against Colorado and Tomoyuki Sugano on Friday. The Dodgers open in Detroit, where Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start. Fans searching Chris Sale shutout or Braves vs Dodgers score can stop at 1-0 and 11 strikeouts. That is the query and the box score.

Chris Sale shutout Dodgers FAQ

What was the Braves vs Dodgers final score? Atlanta won 1-0 on Thursday to complete a three-game sweep.

How many strikeouts did Chris Sale have? Eleven. He threw a five-hit shutout with no walks on 109 pitches.

Who scored the only run? Drake Baldwin, who hit Yamamoto's first pitch for a leadoff homer, his 22nd of the year.