Sale Dominates Crochet as Braves Beat Red Sox 6-1 in Spring Showdown

Atlanta's Chris Sale outpitched Boston's Garrett Crochet in a battle of left-handed aces during Saturday's spring training action. Sale allowed just one run over six innings while Austin Riley drove in four runs to lead the Braves to a 6-1 victory in Fort Myers.

Atlanta’s Chris Sale dominated his matchup against Boston’s Garrett Crochet as the Braves cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Red Sox during Saturday’s spring training action in Fort Myers, Florida.

The left-handed Sale delivered an impressive performance, surrendering only one run on two hits across six innings of work. He recorded four strikeouts and issued one walk while throwing 86 pitches, bringing his spring training ERA down to 2.75. Austin Riley powered the Atlanta offense with a stellar 3-for-4 showing that included a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs. Matt Olson also contributed significantly, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

Crochet struggled for Boston, seeing his spring ERA jump to 7.36 after giving up six earned runs on six hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander threw 89 pitches and managed three strikeouts in the losing effort. The Red Sox offense managed just four singles, with their only run coming in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

In other spring training action, Tampa Bay rallied past Minnesota 3-2 when Chandler Simpson connected on a two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning at Port Charlotte, Florida. All scoring in the game came via home runs, with Jonathan Aranda hitting a solo shot for the Rays in the third before Minnesota’s Matt Wallner and Ryan Jeffers answered with solo blasts in the fourth and sixth innings respectively.

Washington walked off against a New York Mets split squad 3-1 in Palm Beach, Florida, thanks to Joey Wiemer’s two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning. The game remained scoreless through seven innings before Mark Vientos put the Mets ahead with an eighth-inning homer, only to see Kervin Pichardo tie it with an RBI double in the bottom half.

St. Louis jumped on Miami early with a four-run first inning en route to a 7-4 victory in Jupiter, Florida. Alec Burleson drove in the first two runs with a double and finished 2-for-4, while Thomas Saggese homered in the sixth to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 6-4.

Detroit’s new acquisition Framber Valdez continued his strong spring, allowing one run while scattering seven hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings as the Tigers defeated the Yankees 3-1 in Lakeland, Florida. Valdez lowered his spring ERA to 0.98 across 18 1/3 innings.

Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes outdueled Toronto’s Kevin Gausman in an 8-3 Pirates victory in Bradenton, Florida. Oneill Cruz homered and went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs, and his fifth stolen base of the spring, pushing his batting average to .417.

Houston rallied with four runs in the eighth inning to defeat the Mets’ other split squad 7-5 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Christian Walker delivered the decisive blow with a three-run homer after the first two Astros reached base in the frame.

Baltimore concluded its Florida spring training with a 10-8 victory over Philadelphia in Sarasota, with Jhonkensy Noel breaking a 4-4 tie by hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning.