Chris Sale settles in, pitches Braves past Guardians

Chris Sale threw seven masterful innings and Ozzie Albies returned from the injured list to get two hits and help the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting Cleveland Guardians 6-2 on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. The Braves have won four in a row and 10 of their last 11. Atlanta and Cleveland are now tied with a major-league-best 18 wins. Sale (3-1) gave up a game-opening homer to Steven Kwan, but he later retired the final 17 batters he faced.