Atlanta Braves pitching
Before the season began, the Braves pitching staff looked like one of the best in the game. Anderson, Fried, and Morton got off to rough starts, but Kyle Wright emerged as the pitcher I expected (hoped) he’d become.
Fried righted the ship, and Anderson seems on course to do the same. Morton’s initial struggles have subsided a bit, but he’s not yet in the kind of groove the club expected, and the fifth spot remains up for grabs.
As Jake wrote this week, the bullpen hasn’t settled into the force I predicted. Matzek’s lost velocity pointed to the shoulder issues that sent him to the IL. O’Day is showing his age, but grabbing Jackson Stephens out of nowhere looks like a masterstroke.
The Braves aren’t alone in having pitching woes; the best rotation in the division might belong to the Mets; if they could pitch without getting injured. The Marlins duo of Alcantra and Lopez are formidable, but losing Luzardo to a forearm strain exposes the rest of the rotation.
Braves pitchers have kept the team in the game, but the lineup hasn’t scored runs when the chips were down.
That’s a wrap.
Manager Brian Snitker is hamstrung by a roster that lacks players who get on base consistently, understand the concept of situational hitting, and possess a two-strike approach.
He needs a centerfielder so he can shift Duvall back to left field, and make it so that Ozuna never has to wear a glove again. That’s not going to change soon as centerfielders are in short supply.
The Mets have come back to the pack a bit, giving the Braves a chance to make up ground before the specter of Scherzer and deGrom return. I hope Snitker finds a way to do that.