Sale Throws a Complete-Game Gem, Baldwin's Solo Shot Does the Rest

Chris Sale went the distance — 9.0 innings, 5 hits, 0 earned runs, 11 strikeouts — and Atlanta needed every bit of it. Drake Baldwin's 402-foot solo homer to right was the only run of the night, and it held up for a 1-0 Braves win over Los Angeles.

The story of the night was Sale's dominance. He threw a complete-game shutout against one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, walking nobody and punching out 11. Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 and Freddie Freeman, Miguel Rojas, and Ben Rortvedt each added a hit, but the Dodgers never strung anything together. Five hits across nine innings is a quiet night for an offense with this much firepower, and Sale made it look almost routine.

The game's only moment of consequence came when Baldwin stepped in and sent one 402 feet to right field. That swing pushed Atlanta's win probability from 59% to 70% — an 11-point jump — and it turned out to be the entire ballgame. One swing, one run, one win. Baldwin finished 1-for-4 with the homer, the RBI, and the run scored. Ozzie Albies chipped in a hit as well, but Atlanta didn't need much offensively. They had Sale.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was sharp in a losing effort — 6.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts — and on most nights that line earns you a win. Not this one. Edgardo Henriquez followed with a clean 1.0 inning and 3 strikeouts, and Jack Dreyer closed out the final 0.2 frames without allowing a hit. The Dodgers' bullpen did its job; the offense simply couldn't answer Baldwin's blast. This looks like one of those games where the better team on paper walks away with nothing, and the team that got one big swing at the right moment walks away with everything.