Chris Sale eyes Smoltz history as Braves open Cardinals series

Chris Sale starts Friday for the Atlanta Braves against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, chasing John Smoltz as the only Braves pitcher age 37 or older with a sub-3.00 ERA through 17 starts. The left-hander's 2.27 ERA and 10th All-Star nod make this Braves-Cardinals opener a must-watch NL test.

The three-game series opens the final weekend before the All-Star break. Atlanta (54-38) arrives after winning its first series since mid-June in Pittsburgh, while St. Louis (48-44) looks to rebound after dropping four of five to Milwaukee. Kyle Leahy (7-4, 3.86 ERA) gets the ball for the Cardinals.

Key Takeaways

• Chris Sale can match John Smoltz as the only Braves pitcher 37 or older with a sub-3.00 ERA through 17 starts since 1912.
• St. Louis is 10-5 against baseball's top teams this year but just 2-8 against Milwaukee, leaving the Cardinals three games out of a wild-card spot.
• Sale owns a 1.94 ERA over his past 13 outings; Leahy has allowed one earned run over his last three starts.
• Atlanta lost a home series to St. Louis in June and gets a chance for payback before the break.

Why Does Chris Sale's Friday Start Matter for Braves History?

Sale enters with a 2.27 ERA through 16 starts, ranking fourth in the National League. If he avoids a blowup, he will own the best ERA of any Braves pitcher 37 or older through the first 17 starts of a season. John Smoltz posted a 2.74 ERA at that mark in 2005 and remains the only Brave 37 or older to finish below 3.00 since earned runs became an official NL stat in 1912, according to MLB.com.

Sale could also join Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander as the only MLB pitchers 37 or older with a sub-2.30 ERA through 17 starts this decade. His fastball averaged 96.7 mph in his last outing, the fifth-highest mark for him since 2019.

Can the Cardinals Beat Elite Teams Like the Braves?

St. Louis has been competitive against baseball's best clubs in 2026, with one glaring exception. The Cardinals are 10-5 against teams with the top six records outside Milwaukee, including a 2-1 series win over Atlanta last week. Their plus-11 run differential against those top non-Brewers clubs tops their overall plus-3 mark.

Against Milwaukee, however, St. Louis is 2-8. That split has cost the Cardinals dearly. A 5-5 record against the Brewers would put them in a wild-card position; instead they sit three games back. This Celebrity Breaking News matchup tests whether St. Louis can keep beating good teams when the opponent is not Milwaukee.

What Should Fans Expect From the Pitching Matchup?

Sale is making his first start against St. Louis as a Brave. He has faced the Cardinals twice in his career, in 2015 and 2023, and dominated both times. His most recent outing against the Mets was shaky by his standards, with two homers in five innings, but Battery Power notes he typically bounces back after poor starts.

Leahy has won his last two decisions and allowed one earned run over his last three outings. The 29-year-old junkballer uses a six-pitch mix with elite extension. First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. EDT at Busch Stadium, streaming on Apple TV.