The Atlanta Braves will hand the ball to left-hander Ray Kerr for Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night.
The decision follows pitching adjustments forced by late-season injuries and recent bullpen usage.
Atlanta held back ace Chris Sale for Game 3 in Atlanta after he threw 21 pitches to close out Thursday's wild-card series win over the Philadelphia Phillies on one day of rest.
Kerr worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings as an opener in that wild-card game, allowing one hit and one walk while throwing 47 pitches in his postseason debut.
Dodgers Counter With Blake Snell
Los Angeles plans to start left-hander Blake Snell, who posted a 1.90 ERA over nine regular-season starts after shoulder fatigue and elbow loose bodies sidelined him for three months.
Snell owns a 7-5 record and a 3.27 ERA across 18 career postseason games, including six playoff appearances with Los Angeles in 2025.
Former New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter criticized Atlanta's choice to delay Sale's start while trailing 0-1 in the series, calling the strategy hard to believe given the franchise's pitching tradition.
"The deciding factor is always going to be how Chris is feeling," said Braves manager Walt Weiss.
Weiss said health considerations drove the call after Sale threw 95 pitches over 6.1 innings two days before his relief outing in the wild-card round.
"Now, to me it's not that big a deal when he pitches. He's going to pitch in this series.
The Dodgers can't win it in two," Weiss said.
"So he's going to pitch. It really doesn't matter when."
Sale recorded a 2.16 ERA and reached 200 strikeouts for the ninth time in his career during the regular season before Atlanta opted for Kerr in Game 2.
