"We knew we had to win this one"- Chris Sale praises Braves' grit in bounce-back win after tough loss

The Atlanta Braves turned to Chris Sale when they needed him most on Monday. After enduring a shocking loss on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies, Sale pitched seven shutout innings with 12 strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants. They won in extra innings, giving them a little breathing room in a tight Wild Card race.

"Just grit, honestly," Sale said (h/t Bally Sports South). "We all knew yesterday was a tough one, obviously. We had to get over that one quick. Coming in here, we knew we had to win this one. It was a grind. Snell's, that's about as good as you're going to see out there. ... That was big time, and that shows what this group is about."

The Braves have endured a lot of injuries, and poor play lately has put them in a precarious situation. The team is just one game up on the New York Mets for the third Wild Card spot.

The team they beat, the Giants, would have closed the gap to half a game if they'd been able to beat Atlanta last night.

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Chris Sale discusses ace matchup with Blake Snell

Blake Snell and Chris Sale had one of the best matchups of the year. It was a huge contest for both teams' playoff chances, and the two aces showed up for their teams.

Chris Sale dominated against the Giants (Imagn)

Sale went seven without allowing a run, giving up three hits and striking out 12 Giants hitters. Snell was his equal, going 6.2 innings with two hits, three walks and 11 strikeouts.

“That’s what we show up to do,” Sale said (via MLB.com). “We love the competition. It was fun for me to get out there and just let loose and keep [the score] where it was and give my team a chance.”

Though it took until extra innings and the ghost runner, the Braves finally broke through and scored to win the game in the 10th.