Chris Sale, the former Boston Red Sox ace, won a World Series and notched a 300-strikeout season. Chris Sale, the current Atlanta Braves ace, just had a Triple Crown Cy Young turn. The 36-year-old left-hander will lead his current squad against his former one on Friday night, sparking a three-game interleague set at the consecrated Fenway Park. Both big-name clubhouses are vying to get above .500 this weekend.
How to watch Atlanta Braves at Boston Red Sox
Viewing guide
| Time (ET) | TV | Stream | Probables |
|---|---|---|---|
|
7:10 p.m. Fri. |
MLBN |
Chris Sale |
|
|
7:15 p.m. Sat. |
FOX |
Grant Holmes |
|
|
1:35 p.m. Sun. |
MLBN |
Spencer Schwellenbach |
Atlanta arrives this weekend below league averages in batting, OBP and home runs. The offense hasn’t put up more than five runs since April 29, though it has at least been on the right side of three walk-off wins this month.
The bag is mixed thus far. Marcell Ozuna is on pace for a sub-70 RBI season, after putting up triple-digit marks in consecutive years, but he does lead MLB in walks drawn. As of Friday, Austin Riley has played in every Braves game, a welcome development after his 2024 was washed out by a fractured wrist, but his power numbers are down and his strikeouts are up. Matt Olson’s homer pop is definitely missing; his fielding has been indispensable, good for the 99th percentile in range and 97th in run value.
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Boston’s batters are faring better. They take this series ranked seventh in homers, sixth in stolen bases and eighth in batting average, spearheaded by new Sox slugger Alex Bregman (.314/.392/.589 in his first 44 games). Even disgruntled employee Rafael Devers is coming off AL Player of the Week honors. But the end of games have been stressful of late, with three walk-off Ls since last Friday and back-to-back heartbreakers in Detroit (6-5 on Wednesday, 10-9 in 11 innings Tuesday).
Sale goes against southpaw Garrett Crochet, who has been everything Boston bargained for in the early going. The 25-year-old flamethrower takes the hill Friday with a 4-2 record and a sparkling 1.93 ERA in nine starts. Last time out, Crochet struck out nine Royals and gave up just one run across seven innings.
Saturday’s broadcast gets the Fox treatment, meaning Red Sox luminary David Ortiz will be in the studio and Braves Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz in the booth. The probable starters for that game tease some extra offense for a national audience. Atlanta RHP Grant Holmes has served up at least one homer in his last four tries (seven overall), and Boston RHP Lucas Giolito has been gashed for seven earned runs in his last two outings.
Sunday’s matinee gives us two more righties, each specializing in ground-ball outs. Brayan Bello has bent without breaking, but he’s been struggling with his control at 2.8 walks per start. His counterpart, Spencer Schwellenbach, is one of 2025’s best pitchers for offspeed run value.
Players with at least 20 home runs in both jerseys:
- Orlando Cepeda (74 ATL, 20 BOS)
- Jimmy Collins (34 ATL, 25 BOS)
- J.D. Drew (80 BOS, 31 ATL)
- Adam Duvall (65 ATL, 21 BOS)
- Bob Tillman (49 BOS, 28 ATL)
Updated playoff odds for each team
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Chris Sale: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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