"I'm surrounded by a really good group of guys" - Chris Sale praises team's support following dominant shutout against Cubs

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale has been putting up stellar numbers in the last three starts, where he pitched a stellar 0.50 ERA across 18 innings and recorded 28 strikeouts. This is a big shift from his past season, where he recorded a subpar 4.30 ERA.

On Tuesday, Sale was on the mound against the Chicago Cubs. The left-handed hurler shut down the Cubs offense, only allowing two hits and no runs while striking out nine in his seven innings. Aaron Bummer and Jackson Stephens pitched one inning each to help Braves defeat the Cubs 7-0.

After the game, Chris Sale attended the press conference, where he appreciated the environment surrounding him as one of the reasons for his impressive work on the mound.

"I put a lot of work into this offseason," Sale said. "You know, I'm surrounded by a really good group of guys, unbelievable coaching staff, and a great training staff that's keeping me out there, so, you know, I'm obviously happy with where we've been and where we're at, but, you know, we've got a long way to go, so, you know, I'm appreciative of where we're at, but nothing to hang your hat on quite yet."

With another quality start, Chris Sale (6-1) has improved his season ERA to 2.54. He did have his early season issues, but it seems the best version of him has finally arrived and the Braves, who lost Spencer Strider earlier, could thrive under the seven-time All-Star.

Chris Sale isn't bothered about "shiny numbers," he wants to keep "stacking left column."

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During the same interaction, Chris Sale was asked if his strikeout-to-walk ratio was satisfying, to which Sale had a clear answer:

"No, I just want to win games," Sale said. "I don't care how. If I walk six tonight and we win the game, that's all that matters. You know, the shiny numbers around it are cool, but there's a left column and a right column at the end of the day, and you just want to keep stacking that left column as much as possible."

With the Tuesday night win, the Braves improved their season record to 26-13, while the Cubs slid to 24-19.