Braves rotation finds ways to thrive without Spencer Strider

The Atlanta Braves received some bad injury news quite early this season.

In the April 5 home opener, starter Spencer Strider wasn’t himself. Pitching in the high 90s, the right-hander allowed five runs and struck out just four in four innings before exiting with elbow soreness and having an MRI the next day. That MRI would reveal that Strider was headed for elbow surgery, a procedure that would knock him out for all of 2024 and part of 2025.

The response was explosive. The national media openly questioned whether Atlanta’s World Series aspirations were over, with several members of the fan base calling for the team to trade valuable prospects for another starting pitcher to take Strider’s place. The Philadelphia Phillies were awarded the title of best rotation in the NL East and jumped in the World Series odds, while Atlanta took a step (or several steps) back in various power rankings.

Turns out the remaining starters in the rotation heard all the noise and buckled down.

Over the last twenty-four games, dating back to the series opener on April 12 against the Miami Marlins in South Florida, Braves starters have posted a 2.86 ERA, the third-best mark in baseball . The only teams ahead of Atlanta are the Seattle Mariners (2.54) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2.67).

Braves starters have held opponents to two runs or less nine times in the last seventeen games and several starters have stepped up their play in Strider’s absence:

*Veteran Charlie Morton, who had 2,000 career innings pitched last night, gave Atlanta four straight quality starts, allowing just five earned runs over his last 26 innings (1.73 ERA). This four-game stretch, which includes matchups against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers, saw Morton hold opposing hitters to a .180 batting average and a .180 OPS. 540, striking out 22 while walking only six.

* Newcomer Chris Sale, acquired via trade from the Boston Red Sox last offseason, has won his last four outings, allowing just five total runs in 25 innings pitched (1.80 ERA). Sale paced the Braves staff in strikeouts, striking out 32 in those 25 innings, while walking just three and holding opposing hitters to a .200 batting average and a .527 OPS.

* Max Fried was one of the most impressive, rebounding from two poor starts to open his year with a complete-game shutout of the Miami Marlins on April 23, allowing just three hits and striking out six with no walks. The only Braves pitcher to make five starts during that span, he posted a 2.16 ERA and held opponents to a .159 batting average and .488 OPS.

* Atlanta’s ERA leader (1.53), free agent Reynaldo López, shined in his return to the rotation after several seasons as a reliever in Chicago and (briefly) Los Angeles and Cleveland. The right-hander has a 1.93 ERA over that same span and has struck out 25 in his 23.1 innings, allowing just five earned runs and holding opponents to a .218 batting average.

* Bryce Elder, called up to fill Spencer Strider’s vacant rotation spot once his pitching schedule lines up, fumbled in his final outing against the Dodgers. Allowing seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings, he is the only Braves starter who has not gone at least five innings during that span. But his first two starts were golden – a 3.65 ERA through his first twelve innings. Elder is going to be asked to go deep in games to save the bullpen and eat up some innings, which Atlanta will need without Strider, who typically pitched the 6th and 7th innings.

The Braves have additional starters biding their time in AAA Gwinnett, with Darius Vines, Allan Winans and Dylan Dodd all starting every five days for the Stripers and are available if Atlanta needs an extra arm.

As for the playoffs, assuming everyone in the rotation gets there now — which is no guarantee, given past injury and workload issues — Atlanta appears to be able to organize a rotation composed of Max Fried, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton and Reynaldo López for their four starters. If reinforcements are needed from the minor leagues, top prospects AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep appear to have some power stuff and could also round out this quartet.

The Braves can still go out and add starting pitchers at the deadline – there are workload, injury and age issues with 3/5ths of the existing rotation and October a long time away – but the current rotation is going very well at the moment. .