Spencer Strider’s start on Thursday started about as poorly as it could have when he allowed a three-run home run to the A’s Tyler Soderstrom in the first inning. That was the last time they made a dent in him, as he finished his day with 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 dominant innings in the Braves’ extra-innings loss.
It may not have been the best outing of his career, but it was another reminder that he’s getting back to being one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball.
Spencer Strider is looking more and more like his old self
The start marked the second double-digit strikeout start of the year for Strider, and the sixth time that he’s gone at least six innings in his last seven starts.
And he’s doing it in a bit of a different way than he had prior to undergoing surgery. His fastball is about a mile per hour slower than it was last year, and he’s adapted to that by throwing his slider more than ever (37.1% usage compared to 32.6% usage last year).
After starting the year 0-5 with a 5.68 ERA across his first five starts, he has a 3.17 ERA across his last seven starts. Even though that progress is a great sign for Braves faithful, it’s still not enough for a perfectionist like Strider,
“I made a lot of good pitches in that first inning,” Strider said after the game, per The Athletic’s David O’Brien. “I didn’t even mind the four-pitch walk (to Nick Kurtz); those were all good pitches. But make a mistake to a hitter who’s aggressive, and that’s what happens.”
It’s great to see Strider get back to having swing-and-miss stuff, as he’s in the 94th percentile in whiff rate and the 87th percentile in strikeout rate. It also adds another weapon to a Braves starting rotation that lost plenty of swing and miss when Chris Sale went down with his injury.
It’ll be interesting to see how Strider adapts as the season goes on. He didn’t use his curveball and changeup a ton before getting injured but he’s using them even less this year. He’s thrown his curveball just 5.5% of the time and his changeup just 3.7% of the time. He’s thrown both of them almost exclusively to left-handed hitters.
The Braves are also going to need him to be their rock even more than ever in the second half. Sale, Reynaldo López, Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver are all on the 60-day injured list and won’t be back any time soon, so the Braves are currently rocking with a rotation that consists of Strider, Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder.
While Strider can only get the ball every fifth day, a strong start from him could not only help give the Braves bullpen some rest, but also provide a bright spot for Braves fans in a season where they’ve been few and far between.