Atlanta Braves Starting Pitching
What many are pointing to as a potential weakness for the Braves as they enter the postseason could also end up being the reason they win it all. As usual in Major League Baseball, there is a lot riding on the success of the starting rotation.
Max Fried is our ace and he's healthy. Check.
I'll take Spencer Strider against any number two in the league.
Charlie Morton's curveball is still one of the best in the game. He has had stretches of instability over the past couple of years, but he still misses bats with the best of them. If he tightens things up down the stretch, he will be a force to be reckoned with. Morton is second on the team with 11 wins but also leads the team with 10 losses. This season his SO9 is down from 10.7 in '22 to 9.5 in '23. His BB/9 is up from 3.3 in '22 to 4.5 in '23.
Dating back to June 18, Morton has a 3.86 ERA with a 4.65 FIP. As inconsistent as he can seem at times, it's important to note that Morton only has two starts in which he has allowed more than four earned runs all season. He is coming off of a five-inning shutout against the Mets but alas, he walked a career-high seven hitters. He's not as good as he once was, but I'm willing to bet that in the playoffs he can be good once (every few days) as he ever was.
Kyle Wright is due to come back in September and has a chance to get ready for the postseason. Wright won 21 games last season and could be a HUGE addition to the rotation.
Finally, Bryce Elder has been struggling as of late but he's coming off of a shutout against the Yankees and still maintains a 3.46 ERA on the season. Hopefully, he got the hiccups out of the way and can settle back down for the stretch run.
This is still a very solid rotation with some elite arms at the top. With the offense this team has and the reliability out of the pen, this team is still in a great place to add another World Championship to the trophy case.