Brewers' "paper cut" offense defeats Chris Sale, NL East-leading Braves in Friday's series opener

Major League Baseball's best starting pitching matchup of Friday night, and perhaps the best of the year, took place in Milwaukee. National League Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski faced off against his biggest challenger, Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, during the two NL powerhouses' series opener at American Family Field.

The Braves, who led the NL East by five games entering play on August 21, are battling with the Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers for a first-round bye in this year's postseason. Paired with the pitching matchup and the afternoon start on a Friday, the Brewers and Braves' series opener certainly had a "postseason feel."

Misiorowski and Sale's much-anticipated pitching duel did not disappoint. Both pitchers, whose ages are separated by 13 years, turned in a quality start with six punchouts. However, whereas Misiorowski posted a six-inning shutout, his counterpart, Sale, who the Brewers' ace noted was someone that he has looked up to throughout his career, surrendered two runs to Milwaukee's scrappy offense, which ended up being the difference in the Brew Crew's narrow 2-1 victory.

The pitching showcase between the Brewers and Braves on Friday night resulted in just one extra-base hit, but with Misiorowski and Sale on the bump, perhaps that was to be expected. It was Braves' outfielder Michael Harris II who roped a double into the right-center gap in Miz's final inning of work, meaning that the Brewers won the game without the benefit of an extra-base hit. It was an offensive strategy born out of necessity with the dominant Sale on the mound, and one Pat Murphy was happy with following the game.

Brewers win Friday afternoon pitching duel with nine singles against Cy Young candidate Chris Sale, NL East-leading Braves

“If you’re going to beat Sale, or you’re going to score anything off of him, you can’t swing big," said Murphy after Friday night's contest. “You have to stay short and just…paper cut, paper cut, paper cut, paper cut.”

The Brewers certainly had their fair share of paper cuts against Sale in last night's series opener. Not only did the Crew collect eight singles against Atlanta's ace, but they worked deep counts, lengthened at-bats with foul balls, and elevated Sale's pitch count. The offensive approach was present from the onset, with the Brewers forcing Sale to throw 23 pitches in the top of the first. Though they didn't score a run in the inning, two-out singles from Andrew Vaughn and William Contreras extended the frame and forced Sale to execute high-pressure pitches right off the bat.

Just two innings later, the Brewers broke through and plated two runs against the veteran southpaw, all thanks to a series of singles. Luis Lara led off the third frame with a groundball through the left side, and Jackson Chourio followed up with a poke to center field. That set the stage for Contreras, who grounded an RBI-single up the middle to get the Brewers on the board. Then, Vaughn beat out a would-be double-play that allowed Chourio to come around and score, giving the Crew a two-run lead, which was all they needed to defeat Sale and the Braves.

Though the Brewers went scoreless over the next three frames before Sale was pulled, they didn't let the Braves' ace get comfortable, instead challenging him in every at-bat and forcing his pitch count to rise. Therefore, after six innings, Sale was at 94 pitches, and Braves' manager Walt Weiss made the decision not to send him out for the seventh. Said Murphy on his lineup's ability to chase Sale out of the game, "the big thing is, get him out of there…They've got a fabulous ‘pen, but get him [Sale] out of there…And that’s just what the guys did."

Meanwhile, Contreras, who finished the contest with four singles, reiterated Murphy's sentiment during his post-game interview. The Brewers' catcher, who has been much better over his last seven games after a midseason slump, commented on his team's approach against Sale, saying, "he’s a pitcher you can’t try to do too much against. You can’t go up there looking to hit a homer. He’s Chris Sale, everybody here knows who Chris Sale is. I thought everyone did a tremendous job doing their part...stay on the field there with him, and battle him out."

The victory reassured Brewers fans that their home run-lacking offense can still find success against the elite pitching they are bound to face in October. In fact, sometimes getting caught up in hitting home runs is exactly what an elite starter like Sale wants you to do. Taking what the pitcher offers them rather than trying to force a big hit was the reason the Brewers were able to post two runs and chase Sale out of the game after six innings in Friday night's series opener. Continuing to be intentional in their approach will be key to their success down the stretch.

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