Sale (7-4) struck out 13 over seven scoreless innings Sunday against the Mariners, allowing four hits while walking one en route to his seventh win of the season.
Sale only needed 93 pitches (71 strikes) in this dominant performance. He ended his day by striking out Mike Zunino with a 100-mph fastball, and then Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes each logged an inning in the combined four-hit shutout. Sale fanned 10 of the first 16 batters he faced, including the side in order in the fifth. His season ERA peaked at 3.00 on June 1, but since then he has struck out 43 in 28 innings over his last four starts, which has helped him bring that ERA back down to a more typically dominant 2.56. His next start will come next weekend in Yankee Stadium.