Taxed with a fatigued bullpen, the visiting Atlanta Braves would love nothing more than a long outing from their starting pitcher on Tuesday night, when they play the second contest of a three-game set against the New York Mets.

Luckily for the Braves, they’ve got the right guy on the mound in left-hander Chris Sale.

After Atlanta’s relievers were put to the test in a weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Braves sent Connor Thomas to the mound for just the fourth game of his major league career in a 3-3 game on Monday. Thomas allowed 11 runs on 10 hits across just 2 2/3 innings in a 14-3 loss.

Anchoring a staff in need of reinforcements, Sale (11-6, 2.19 ERA) will search for his third straight win and fourth in his last five outings.

Sale, 37, allowed three runs on five hits across six innings on Thursday, tying a season high with 11 strikeouts and walking just one in a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

After injuries derailed the end of his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, Sale was shipped to the Braves in December 2023 for shortstop Vaughn Grissom — who was traded again two years later. Since Sale arrived in Atlanta, he’s revitalized his career and is in the conversation for his second National League Cy Young Award in the last three years.

“I’ve talked about him glowingly all year, and I’ll continue to do so,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said of Sale. “He’s the real deal. … It defies logic, really. After all the time he missed in Boston and then coming here and doing what he’s done to rejuvenate an already great career, at this point in his career, is amazing.”

Sale is 36-14 with a 2.39 ERA with Atlanta. He is in his third year with the team.

Sale is 3-0 with a 2.43 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. He faced them on July 4, tossing five innings of three-run, seven-hit ball, striking out three and walking two in a 14-3 victory.

Monday served as a highlight for the Mets in an otherwise lackluster season. New York has won back-to-back games for the first time since before the All-Star break after its second-highest scoring output of the year.

Francisco Lindor hit two home runs and drove in six runs for the Mets, while Tyrone Taylor had three hits and three RBIs.

“Tyrone Taylor continues to do some impressive stuff,” New York interim manager Andy Green said. “Obviously, Lindor with the two home runs and triple as well. Up and down the lineup, we had really good at-bats (on Monday).”

The Mets will counter Sale with right-hander Christian Scott (3-2, 3.13 ERA), who’s coming off his shortest outing since his season debut on April 23. Scott lasted just 3 2/3 innings, yielding three runs on four hits while striking out six and walking three in a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

Scott, 27, faced the Braves on July 3, allowing three runs on two hits in four innings, striking out seven and walking four in a 5-3 loss. He is 0-2 with a 5.40 in two career starts against Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

Even as injuries keep mounting for the New York Yankees, the club’s victory total is following suit.

After defeating the White Sox 9-5 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series in Chicago, the Yankees can secure at least a split with a win Tuesday night .

New York has won four of its past five games to pull 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay for the American League East lead. New York was 3 1/2 games ahead in the division on June 17 but has a 15-18 record since. The Rays are 20-13 in that span.

On Monday, the Yankees collected 10 hits shortly after learning that outfielder Cody Bellinger would be out four to six weeks with a left hamstring strain.

“I feel like we just want to pick up our teammates, you know,” Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “We just want to keep on going. And when someone is down, we want to just keep on picking them up. Just keep on working.”

Chisholm had two hits, two RBIs and two runs on Monday. He was on base when catcher Ali Sanchez hit his first career home run, a three-run blast in the eighth inning that broke the game open.

Sanchez debuted in the major leagues in 2020 and has played for six teams, never appearing in more than 31 games in a season.

“It’s always great when you get to see a teammate do well,” Chisholm said. “Especially when it’s their first career hit or home run. Especially the grind that he’s been through, man.”

Chicago took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but was unable to maintain the advantage despite three hits and two RBIs from Colson Montgomery.

Montgomery served as Chicago’s designated hitter but is expected to return to his usual shortstop position during the series. He is working through a bruised shin that kept him out of the lineup for Sunday’s victory against Houston.

That’s the lone win the White Sox have in the first four games of a seven-game homestand. While Chicago remains atop the AL Central with a two-game edge over the Cleveland Guardians, the White Sox know there’s room for improvement.

Defense was among the culprits as the White Sox fell to 1-3 against the Yankees this season. Third baseman Miguel Vargas, catcher Edgar Quero and reliever Sean Newcomb each committed an error.

“It was a sloppy game defensively,” Chicago manager Will Venable said afterward. “Even some plays that didn’t end in errors, you know. Just not sharp there. I thought it really impacted the game, obviously, and it really was the difference there. So we’ve got to keep it up, go to work tomorrow and be better next time.”

Left-hander Anthony Kay (7-4, 4.21 ERA) will start for the White Sox on Tuesday against Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (3-5, 3.92).

Kay won for the first time since June 12 on Wednesday, delivering five innings of two-run, five hit ball in a 4-2 victory over Texas. He walked two and struck out four.

The host Yankees defeated Kay 10-5 on June 17, reaching him for four runs and six hits in four innings, including a two-run homer from Bellinger.

Kay has five career appearances (two starts) against New York, with an 8.10 ERA. He has surrendered 12 runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Cole defeated Chicago 12-2 on June 16 of this season. He spaced two runs and three hits in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts. Andrew Benintendi connected for a solo shot.

Cole is 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA in six career starts against Chicago.

He is coming off Wednesday’s no-decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won 5-3 in 10 innings. He allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings with no walks and a season-high 11 strikeouts.

–Field Level Media

The All-Star Break is done and it is time for the WNBA season to pick up where it left off. To that end, the league has given us a five-game slate today with plenty of great betting opportunities. Let’s talk about which ones are the WNBA Best Bets for the day.

There are several good ones, but the following are my top picks (odds via FanDuel):

Toronto Tempo vs. Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota hasn’t beaten a team by more than 15.5 points since June 17 (99-83 vs. Sparks). In the nine games they were double digit favorites, they covered in only three. So, why should we believe they’ll cover this spread tonight? There are several reasons:

Napheesa Collier is back and proved before the break she is ready to play. There may be some hiccups as the Lynx figures out how to keep everyone involved. But that shouldn’t be an issue against the team with one of the worst defenses in the league (92.3 ppg allowed).

My Pick: Lynx -15.5 at -110

Collier’s return should fix many of Minnesota’s recent issues. Big spreads warrant caution, but Toronto can’t match a healthy Lynx team. Minnesota beat Toronto by 28 on May 21. I don’t expect another beatdown, but the Lynx should cover.

Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm

Indiana went into the All-Star Break absolutely rolling, averaging 105 points per game over the last five games while holding teams to 89.2 ppg. In the last five games leading up to the break, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell averaged nearly 50 combined points per game (49.4).

Does a struggling Seattle team stand a chance?

The Storm averaged around 90 ppg over the last five games prior to the Break. But there defense allowed an average of 96 ppg. But they did give Indiana a good fight the last time these two played (July 17, 110-107).

My Pick: Indiana -9.5 at -110

Clark is probable, while Malonga is questionable. If Malonga sits, Mitchell, Clark, and Boston should thrive inside. If she plays (or if Clark sits), it will be more challenging, but Indiana still should cover.

Portland Fire vs. Las Vegas Aces

Las Vegas should absolutely win this game. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, not to mention the WNBA’s best player in A’ja Wilson. With Wilson and the roster rested and ready to go, Portland will have its hands full just trying to keep up.

However, based on how both teams were playing prior to the break, Portland may be able to do just that. They lost five of their last eight before the break but went 7-1 ATS. Vegas went 3-3 before the Break outright but 2-4 ATS. Vegas won both prior meetings but went 1-1 ATS.

My Pick: Portland +11.5 at -110

If this was a single-digit spread, I’d probably go the other way. But with how both teams were playing before the break, I don’t see Vegas dominating this game. The Aces will win, but not by double digits.