Will Chris Sale or Reynaldo Lopez start the All-Star Game for the NL?

The Braves are sending two starting pitchers to the All-Star Game – Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez – and both have a good chance of becoming starters in the National League.

Chris Sale is a veteran who has battled back from several serious injuries and is now playing his first year with the Braves. It will be his eighth All-Star appearance as he heads toward the Hall of Fame, making it a feel-good story, which is what the All-Star game is all about. The 35-year-old is also one of the favorites for the NL Cy Young, leading the league in wins, FIP, WHIP and K/BB ratio.

On the other hand, Reynaldo Lopez is another feel-good story. As a converted reliever, the Braves saw something the rest of the league was missing and added him to their rotation after signing him to a three-year, $30 million deal in the offseason. At first, it seemed like a fun experiment with some upside that probably wouldn’t last. Now Lopez is an All-Star for the first time and leads all of Major League Baseball in ERA and all National League pitchers in WAR.

Both deserve that chance, but there’s a chance neither will even be considered due to the schedule. With Chris Sale’s start pushed back to tonight, he will now also pitch next Sunday, the last game before the All-Star break. If that happens, he won’t be able to pitch in the All-Star Game.

Reynaldo Lopez is also scheduled to start as a pitcher on Saturday, but since the Braves want to keep their pitchers as fresh as possible, he will probably not be available either.

We’ll see if the Braves change anything in the future. They’ve tinkered with their rotation a lot all season, but right now it looks like both of the Braves’ starters may be unavailable for next week’s All-Star game.

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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire