Sale, 3 Homers Lead Braves Past Royals

Sale (1-0) allowed three hits and three walks with six strikeouts, providing a much-needed boost to Atlanta's injury-plagued rotation. Ozzie Albies homered in the first inning, reigning NL rookie of the year Drake Baldwin went deep in the third, and Michael Harris II added a two-run shot in the fourth. Newcomer Mauricio Dubón capped the scoring with a two-run double in the seventh inning.

The victory marked new manager Walt Weiss' first win since 2016 and showed that the Braves' pitching staff might be in better shape than expected despite recent injuries. Robert Suárez worked a scoreless eighth inning in his new setup role as Atlanta's bullpen looked strong.