The Atlanta Braves (56-48) are sitting in second place in the National League East division as of Sunday afternoon. They have had their share of ups and downs as they are 8.5 games back from the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta will have to go on a huge stretch of wins and need a little help to climb back to the top of their respective division.
On the upside is one of their young pitchers that has come onto the mound. Spencer Schwellenbach is in his rookie season for the Atlanta Braves with a combined 4-5 record as a starting pitcher. On Saturday, he had an outstanding performance as the Braves took a win on the road against the Mets. How will he fare in his next start?
Atlanta Braves Pitcher Reaches Double-Digit Strikeouts
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Spencer Schwellenbach has started nine games. He currently has a 4.06 ERA over that period. During the game on Saturday against the New York Mets, Schwellenbach only allowed two hits. It was the first time in his short career that he reached double digits in strikeouts with 11.
Throughout his nine starts, he has eclipsed 80 strikeouts on 51 hits. This gives him an overall ERA of 4.06. Within the last seven days, Schwellenbach has posted an ERA of 2.77 with 19 strikeouts on the mound for the Braves. He is the fifth pitcher in Atlanta Braves franchise history with 10 strikeouts in one contest during his first 10 appearances as a starter.
Atlanta came out on top as they beat their rival by a score of 4-0, shutting out their opponent on the road. They continued their small win streak by beating New York 9-2 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta Braves Need A Hot Streak
The Braves have been accustomed to winning the National League East consecutively over the last 23 years with 18 division titles. That winning streak ended after the 2005 season as they won 14 straight dating back to 1991. Atlanta will have to pick up the pace if they want to win and be on top of the division race this season.
It will require the Philadelphia Phillies (65-40) to lose some games for the Braves to remain in contention for a playoff spot at the end of the regular season. Philadelphia has been a tough team to beat thus far in 2024. A critical theme for the Atlanta Braves has been an injury bug that occurred early on in the year. This could be a big reason why they have not reached their full potential after the All-Star break.
Braves Injuries Slowing Down Production
Other starting pitchers have been out of the rotation including Max Fried and most recently Reynaldo Lopez who exited their game today (Sunday) with forearm tightness after throwing 57 pitches in only three innings. The Braves were able to keep the bats moving since they won by seven runs. But, their lack of hitting production and overall the play has been diminished.
A case can be made since Ronald Acuna Jr was ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season with another torn ACL in 2021. The excitement for some Atlanta Braves fans has gone away as he is known for his speed and versatility in base running. Second baseman Ozzie Albies will be off the field in the coming weeks after suffering a fractured wrist injury almost three weeks ago.
He is another talented player who has power in the batter’s box and can make elite plays on the field. In the last several weeks, the Atlanta Braves have not been able to get into a rhythm and find ways to win games consistently. The competition is getting tougher in the NL East Division, but there is still time and many games left to be played before the postseason begins.
Atlanta will hit the road once again to take on the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow night at 8:20 pm ET.
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