Stuck in a frustrating three game losing streak, the Atlanta Braves turned to their budding ace to put a hault to the team's current skid. Spencer Schwellenbach delivered and then some on Saturday night against a tough Phillies lineup. After seven more innings of brilliance from Schwellenbach, the Michigan native had set a career high in strikeouts with 12 as he led the way to a much needed 6-1 victory.
Schwellenbach continues to impress despite being just under 40 starts into his big league career. One of the most impressive things about Schwellenbach's outings is how deep he is able to work into ballgames. After Saturday's performance, Schwelly recaptured the MLB lead in innings pitched with 110.2 IP as we just crossed the halfway point on the season. His durability and consistency of eating innings is providing the Braves' more value than fans realize.
Schwellenbach has a career-high strikeouts and he once again has the MLB lead in innings pitched. This man should be an All-Star
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 29, 2025
Schwellenbach's efficiency is helping the Braves in multiple ways
Atlanta's rotation has been great for the majority of the season. However, after Chris Sale went down with his ribcage fracture the backend of the rotation has struggled to give the Braves' as many innings as they were earlier in the year.
This is where Schwellenbach's ability to eat innings helps massively. When Snitker is forced to burn through his bullpen on starts by Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes, it's nice to have Schwellenbach ready to throw seven innings in the very next game.
In fact, Schwellenbach has went at least seven innings in each of his last four starts. Out of his 17 starts on the season, only twice has Schwellenbach failed to give the Braves at least six innings. Mostly due to his efficiency and ability to have quick innings. Entering Saturday's start, Schwellenbach led the National League in lowest average number of pitches thrown per inning with 14.21 P/IP.
Of course, this is the result of when you pound the strikezone with so many quality offerings. His aggressiveness is a big reason why he entered Saturday ranked in the 96th percentile in walk rate. If Schwellenbach can produce a couple more starts like his latest against Philadelphia he may be in line to represent the Braves in the All-Star game.
It's mindboggling to think about a sophomore season All-Star nod for a guy who rose so quickly through the system like Schwelly did. However, leading the league in innings while posting a 3.09 ERA and sub 1.00 WHIP should be enough to make that a reality.