Chris Sale tries to help bring out the brooms for Braves against Cubs

Q: What is Chris Sale's recent performance with the Braves?

Chris Sale has been consistent on the mound for the Braves, with only two earned runs allowed in his last outing, aside from a rough game against the Angels.

Q: How have the Cubs performed against left-handed pitchers this season?

The Cubs have a strong batting average of .267 against left-handed pitchers this season, but they have struggled in this series, collecting no hits against lefties.

Q: What are the Cubs' home and away batting statistics?

At home, the Cubs hit .263 with a wRC+ of 128, while away from home, their performance drops to .227 with a wRC+ of 100.

Q: Who is starting for the Cubs against the Braves?

Ben Brown is starting for the Cubs, entering the game with an impressive ERA of 1.82 and having recently thrown four scoreless innings against the Rangers.

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 26: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on April 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images Fresh off of winning a series in Dodger Stadium to cap off a successful road trip out West, the Atlanta Braves are now looking to keep this fantastic run going by not just picking up a series win against the Chicago Cubs but capping off the three-game set with a series sweep of the current NL Central leaders. The pitching has been a big reason behind Atlanta’s success in this series so far (and the season as a whole), as the raves have only given up three runs on five hits through both games so far. The Cubs came into this series slumping after having been shut out during their final two games at Texas and the Braves have done a good job of extending that misery with their efforts on the mound and their defensive quality as well. It only figures to get better for the Braves coming into this game, as it’s Chris Sale’s turn in the rotation. Outside of a rough outing in Anaheim against the Angels last month, Sale has ben pretty consistent and a very steady figure in the rotation so far — which is exactly what you’d expect from the future Hall-of-Famer. Sale’s last outing saw him perform well enough to keep the Braves competitive against the but ultimately, the three runs (two eanred) that he conceded were enough for the Dodgers to eke out a win. Still, those two earned runs were the most that Sale had given up in any outing outside of the one against the Angels — all of the others saw him give up at least one run or fewer while going at least six innings as well. That’s to say that Chris Sale has been very consistent on the mound so far for the Braves and you always have to like Atlanta’s chances of winning any given game that he’s pitching in. While this does seem like an ideal situation for Sale and the Braves to thrive in considering how anemic the Cubs lineup has been in recent days, one thing to keep an eye on is that the Cubs have done pretty well against left-handed pitching so far this season. As a team, they’re hitting .267/.364/.425 against lefties with 15 home runs, a .352 wOBA and 126 wRC+ and that wRC+ mark is the top mark in all of baseball so far. If the Cubs do wake up tonight, it may not be all that surprising. With that being said, it also wouldn’t be surprising if they just kept on struggling. The Cubs have faced left-handers (who FanGraphs is doing a fantastic job so far) and for three innings combined over the course of this series and they’ve collected zero hits, zero walks and struck out six times against the two of them. It is possible for left-handers to have success against the Cubs and maybe we’ll see that from Chris Sale tonight. If they continue to struggle, then the relevant stat could be that the Cubs’ lineup isn’t nearly as imposing away from The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. At home, the Cubs are hitting .263/.364/.496 with a .377 wOBA, 29 homers and a wRC+ of 128. Away from the North Side, those numbers go down to .227/.319/.378 with 23 homers, a .317 wOBA and a wRC+ of 100. Now granted, it’s not hardly surprising to see a team hit better at home than on the road but for comparisons’ sake, the Braves wRC+ goes from 123 at home to 119 on the road. That much of a drop off is enough to take notice of and maybe it could be that the Cubs are just a different team once they put on the road grays (or blues). So while the Braves may have the advantage in their attempt to go for a sweep, it won’t be easy. That’s because the Cubs are sending Ben Brown to start tonight’s game. There’s been a lot of uncertainty about whether or not the Cubs want to make Brown a starter instead of keeping him in the bullpen and as of right now, he’s got the nod to be a starter. His most recent outing was a successful one where he tossed four scoreless innings against the Rangers and that was part of a lovely stretch that he’s been on since April 11 where he’s thrown 19 innings and given up three runs (with only one of those being earned) on 10 hits and five walks while striking out 16 batters. While that start against the Rangers was actually a spot start, the Cubs clearly believe in Brown enough to give him a shot against this very potent Braves lineup at Truist Park, so we’ll see if Chicago’s faith in their talented pitcher will be paid off. He’s entering this game with an ERA of 1.82 (46 ERA-) and a FIP of 2.63 (66 FIP-) so if he keeps that up, he will provide some tough opposition for the Braves this evening. If it comes down to it, the Braves may just have to once again find a way to get to their opposition’s bullpen and make something happen in the later innings. As it turns out, the Braves have been the best-hitting team in baseball from the seventh inning onwards. Atlanta is hitting .275/.344.459 with a wOBA of .353 and a wRC+ of 125 in the seventh, eighth and ninth inning of games so far — all of those numbers are either at the top of the baseball leaderboards or in the top five when it comes to that particular stat, so it’s pretty clear that if the bullpen does get involved, the Braves are capable of turning the game around at that point in time. The pitching matchup is certainly intriguing and it’s one that makes you think that the Braves can afford to get greedy and go for a sweep here. Going 5-1 against two of the best teams in the National League so far would be a true statement of intent to the rest of baseball that this Braves team means serious business here in 2026. You could argue that that statement has already been made with their series win but a sweep just seems so much nicer, doesn’t it? It’s not going to be an easy task for the Braves but with the way they’ve been rolling so far, it’s not hard to believe that they can pull it off. Let’s see what happens, y’all.