ATLANTA — What are the lingering effects of squandering good starts from Spencer Strider and Grant Holmes during the same weekend? The Braves will soon find out as they head to West Sacramento looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with an injury-depleted rotation and a lethargic offense.
With recent injuries forcing Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach to the 60-day injured list, Atlanta currently has just two dependable starters and an offense that has forced both to be nearly perfect.
Holmes’ run of tough luck continued when a two-run homer he allowed to Jackson Holliday was the difference in a 2-1 loss to the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park. Baltimore swept this three-game series that began with Atlanta’s offense being unable to overcome the three runs Strider allowed over six innings on Friday.
“You never know whether the offense is clicking or not, what it’s going to take to win games,” Strider said. “What I know will give us the best chance is pitching deep and limiting runs.”
This is exactly what a good teammate should say. But the ugly reality is that the Braves (39-50) have scored two runs or fewer in seven of their past 10 games and no more than one run six times during this span. They have lost nine of their past 11 games and are 11 games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2017 season.
With four starting pitchers — Reynaldo Lopez, AJ Smith-Shawver, Sale and Schwellenbach — injured the Braves need their offense to step up and compensate. But the lineup has been the team’s main liability throughout the season.
“It’s not fun,” manager Brian Snitker said.
This hasn’t been a fun stretch for Holmes’ credit. He has posted a 2.36 ERA over his past six starts. But the Braves are 1-5 in those games. How? Well, they have been shut out in two of the past three games he has started. It would have been three straight had Sean Murphy not homered in Sunday’s ninth inning.
“It’s baseball,” Holmes said. “You never really know what’s going to happen. Unfortunately, we’ve come out on the wrong side of it.”
As for Strider, the Braves have gone 3-2 while he has posted a 2.70 ERA over his past seven starts. But they’ve lost his past two outings, despite him totaling 15 innings and allowing a combined five runs in those starts.
Wasting strong starts from Holmes and Strider has put the Braves in a tough position for this week’s series against the A’s in Sacramento. On Tuesday night, they’ll call upon their No. 4 starter Didier Fuentes, who will be making his 10th start above the High-A level. The 20-year-old has posted a 9.00 ERA through his first three MLB starts.
Wednesday’s start will be made by No. 3 starter Bryce Elder, who has a 12.64 ERA in his past four outings.
This is why Atlanta can’t waste strong starts from Holmes and Strider, who doesn’t think there’s much to the thought that the offensive struggles are putting undue pressure on pitchers.
“In 2023 or whenever I’ve been on a team that bangs offensively, I’ve never gone out there and just thought, ‘Well, I can just suck today,’” Strider said.
Fair enough. But it’s still incredible that a rotation that is missing four starters isn’t close to being as much of a liability as the offense.
Leave a Reply