It’ll be tragic if Braves Country doesn’t get Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach in the playoffs again

According to FanGraphs, the Braves have a 26.2% chance of making the playoffs. Obviously, not playing in October for the first time since 2017 will suck, period; however, not seeing Spencer Schwellenbach or Chris Sale in the playoffs will make it even more difficult to stomach.

Last year, the Braves had to come from behind and clinch a Wild Card spot, punching their ticket on Game 162 against the Mets. It took everything the Braves had, and it resulted in A.J. Smith-Shawver starting the first Wild Card game against the Padres.

Max Fried ended up getting the ball in Game 2, but we never saw Schwellenbach or Sale for different reasons: rest for the former and an injury for the latter.

In his rookie campaign, Schwellenbach put together an impressive 3.35 ERA and 3.29 FIP across 21 starts and 123.2 innings. He had a 5.52 SO/W and a 1.043 WHIP in that span, but he finished the 2024 season on a hot note.

In his final 12 starts, he posted a 2.47 ERA, including a 7.0 inning, one-run gem against the Mets in his final appearance. Schwellenbach obviously helped the Braves get into the postseason with that start against New York, but it was a shame that we didn’t get to see him against the Padres.

But it was even more tragic that Chris Sale was not able to make a playoff start. He won the NL Triple Crown after leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225) en route to his first Cy Young award, and Braves Country didn’t get to see him when the lights were brightest.

Now, in 2025, we still might not see two of the best pitchers in baseball during the postseason. After beginning the year slowly, Chris Sale has refound his Cy Young form. The veteran had a 6.17 ERA through his first five starts and didn’t make it to the sixth inning until his seventh start.

Since then, Sale has only gone less than six innings once, boasting an ungodly 1.38 ERA across 52.1 innings while striking out 71 batters and only giving up 16 free passes across those eight starts. He’s recorded double-digit strikeouts four times and at least six in every single outing.

Spencer Schwellnebach is also trying to replicate his impressive 2024 season, and he’s even building off of it. The 25-year-old is coming off the first complete game of his career, needing only 105 pitches to get 27 outs in a series-clinching win over the Brewers while allowing just two runs. The outing lowered Schwellenbach’s ERA to 3.11 to go with a 1.004 WHIP.

The 1-2 punch of Spencer Schwellenbach and Chris Sale is as good as any in baseball, and while the Braves have an uphill battle to capture a postseason berth, the club’s aces give them a fighter’s chance in October if they get there.

Not only do Braves fans deserve to see Schwellenbach and Sale in the playoffs, but baseball fans everywhere deserve it. This game is at its best when its best players are playing on its biggest stages.

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