Braves' Sale frustrated amid poor start: 'I just hate sucking'

Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale ripped his latest poor performance after Sunday's 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

"Frustrated would be a wild understatement," he said after allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. "I just hate sucking, and I'm just bad. It's simple."

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has been a shell of himself through his first four starts in 2025. He owns a 6.63 ERA and 1.53 WHIP after winning the pitching triple crown last year.

He's one of several key players struggling on a Braves team that has stumbled to a 4-11 record out of the gate.

"I don't know if I’ve ever been this frustrated, honestly," Sale said. "I feel like I'm banging my (freaking) head against the wall right now, and I'm getting nothing out of it."

Sale showed signs of rounding into form despite the poor results. His fastball averaged 96.2 mph on Sunday after sitting at just 93.2 mph through his first three outings. His 41.7% chase rate also ranks in the 95th percentile.

His next start is likely to be next weekend against the Minnesota Twins.