Yankees star provides a harsh take on Braves Chris Sale

Juan Soto was asked what made facing Chris Sale so tough tonight:

"Did you ever watch his career? He's a great pitcher" pic.twitter.com/li2ksTnVYq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 22, 2024

“He’s a great pitcher, and tonight he made great pitches,” Soto replied. The Yankees outfielder also praised Sale for keeping batters off balance with his throws.

The Yankees are struggling. The team has lost five of its previous six games and has been boat raced in two of them. In only the last three games, New York has given up a remarkable 32 runs. This is a dramatic turn of fortunes for the club, which has won 50 games faster than any other MLB team this season.

The Yankees’ recent struggles with pitching are perplexing. According to MLB statistics, New York had the greatest ERA of any team as of mid-June. That appears to be entirely shattered, as the squad has recently struggled to locate a reliable arm. On Thursday, the Yankees allowed 17 runs to the Baltimore Orioles, resulting in likely their worst loss of the season.

Injuries have also jolted the team. Soto was gone for a while with an injury, and Anthony Rizzo suffered a shattered wrist. Aaron Judge has also sustained injuries. New York is currently hunting for answers, as the squad has suddenly risen to roughly second place in the American League East. New York has a 51-27 record, half a game better than Baltimore.

Juan Soto’s performance against Braves

Soto has contributed to New York’s success this year. The outfielder is batting.304 for the year, with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs. However, Soto is currently in a slump. He has just one hit in his last five games. Soto is suffering, and so are the Yankees. New York has only one win in its last five games. Soto has not homered since June 15. He has only hit one home run since June 2.

Soto’s skid extended against Sale on Friday. The Braves pitcher had an outstanding game, allowing only one run on one hit in five innings. Sale also struck out eight Yankees batters, batting them away like flies. Soto struck out three times throughout the game, contributing to those statistics.

In one of the strikeouts, Soto was caught looking at a slider from Sale in the fourth inning. The Yankee slugger protested with the umpire about the call, which did not sit well with Braves color announcer Darren O’Day. O’Day slammed Soto for his words to the home plate umpire.

“Good pitch,” O’Day told Awful Announcing. “God, it irritates me watching Juan Soto complain to the umpire. It’s absolutely a well-executed slider down and away. Return to the dugout, look at it on the iPad, and you’ve struck out, fair and square. The strike zone is the same for you. “I’m finished.”

The Yankees return to action Saturday against the Braves. The first pitch is at 7:15 Eastern. New York could certainly use a victory, and Soto could use a strong showing at the plate.