Sale struck out four batters over two perfect innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw fired 16 of 25 pitches for strikes and overpowered a lineup that likely featured most of Pittsburgh's Opening Day starters, with his strikeout victims including Oneil Cruz and Yasmani Grandal. Sale said at the beginning of camp that he was coming off his healthiest offseason in years, offering some optimism that he can still deliver dominant results when he's on the mound, but the 34-year-old hasn't thrown at least 150 innings in a season since 2018.