Braves 15, Rangers 1: Sale's 2,700th K and Baldwin's Five RBIs

Sale treats the second half like Opening Day

July 17, 2026 – Atlanta – Chris Sale sat out the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Texas paid for the rest.

Chris Sale threw seven shutout innings of two-hit ball, punched out six, walked nobody, and became the 27th pitcher to reach 2,700 career strikeouts when he fanned Ezequiel Duran in the fifth. Drake Baldwin went 3-for-4 with five RBIs. The Atlanta Braves smashed the Texas Rangers 15-1 on 19 hits, per the Associated Press.

Every Atlanta starter got a hit. The Rangers' recent success against lefties did not show up.

The fourth that ended the suspense

Atlanta scratched two in the second on Baldwin's RBI single and Ozzie Albies plating another. Then the fourth arrived.

Baldwin golfed a splitter 419 feet into the Braves bullpen for a three-run shot and a 5-0 lead. Two batters later, Matt Olson launched a 420-foot solo into the Chop House. 6-0. Cal Quantrill (3-2) was already cooked: 11 hits and six runs in four innings.

More came in the fifth, seventh, and eighth. Austin Riley went deep. Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubon piled on late. Texas finally scored in the eighth. Too late to matter.

Two hits, 89 pitches, zero drama

Sale threw 62 strikes on 89 pitches. A single in the third. A double from Brandon Nimmo to open the seventh. Twelve in a row retired in between. The veteran lefty called it another Opening Day energy after the break. Hard to argue when the board looks like that.

Emiliano Teodo debuted in relief and ate some of the mess. The story stayed Sale and the lineup.

AthX Engine angle

Sale's 29 pitching FP led every arm on Friday's card. Baldwin's 14 hitting FP sat second only to Chaparro's West Sacramento explosion. Atlanta's 32 team FP trailed only Washington and Boston's doubleheader haul. Production like this is why people open the marketplace after a blowout, remembering that dynamic pricing still has a vote.

What comes next

Braves look refreshed. Rangers look like they need the break back. Second-half tone-setters rarely arrive this clean.

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*Sources: MLB.com schedule, AP via CBS Sports, ESPN recap, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*