3 Takeaways from a wholly anti-climactic Atlanta Braves season-ender

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 09: Mike Foltynewicz #26 of the Atlanta Braves looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning in game five of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 09, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

2. You Can NEVER Have Too Much Pitching

Without pointing any fingers at any particular member of the Atlanta Braves pitching staff, let’s contrast them with some of the other clubs remaining in the playoff tournament (until the Dodgers/Nats game ends – still in progress as this was written):

DODGERS: Kershaw, Ryu, Buehler, Maeda, Stripling
ASTROS: Verlander, Cole, Greinke, Miley
RAYS: Morton, Snell, Glasnow, Yarborough
NATIONALS: Strasburg, Corbin, Scherzer, Sanchez
(Cards have Flaherty and not much more; which is why they will be rolled in the NLCS)

The Braves do have solid pitching overall, but what they lack right now is years… the years of experience of being in big games, big situations and performing despite when things aren’t going well.

That actually extends to the defense as well: on multiple occasions in that first inning meltdown, a defensive play could have averted extra runs. Yet the entire team seemed like they were playing “tight” and as the damage mounted, “tight” got tighter, and you could see the horror of reality set in.

There were some outstanding pitching performances turned in: Foltynewicz and Soroka specifically. But in Game 5 … bless you for trying Mike… once that train slipped a wheel off the tracks, nobody was able to stop it.

Truth is, the Braves simply lacked that extra starter who they needed to round out the rotation.

Max Fried had to be pressed into service in relief; Julio Teheran clearly wasn’t trusted; and Dallas Keuchel had already been used up (though his outings weren’t particularly special).

Justin Verlander had a similar game on Tuesday: he gave up 3 runs in his first inning… but it was only 3 runs. In his case, his defense didn’t lay an egg, but after getting through that poor start, he did labor through almost 4 innings to try and keep his team in the contest.

So the message: Atlanta still has some ‘kids’ expected to be excellent pitchers, but can they become part of a serious rotation quickly enough?

Dallas Keuchel is now a free agent. Julio Teheran might or might not see his option picked up (right now? I think ‘not’).

Sean Newcomb is something of an enigma (starter or reliever?). Folty and Soroka should be able to build on their 2019 efforts. Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson are waiting in the wings.

The Braves will still need more. It will be interesting to see who is available. But that discussion is for another day.

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