Atlanta Braves rotation a complete mess
Robbie Erlin was horrible Thursday night in Washington. He allowed five runs on six hits and got only five outs. The last thing the beleaguered Braves rotation needed was another short appearance, but Erlin lasted only 1.2 innings.
What do the Braves do? They’re in a mess. The starting rotation ERA is now 6.11 in 44 games. That’s the worst mark in the National League. But a closer look inside that number confirms what we already know: Unless Max Fried, Mike Soroka or Ian Anderson have been on the mound to start the game, the Braves are in trouble.
Those three have a combined ERA of 2.40 in 15 starts. They’ve allowed 21 earned runs on 56 hits in 78.2 innings, with 31 walks and 73 strikeouts.
What have the other starters done in the other 29 games? Well, how about an ERA of 8.91 ERA with 103 earned runs allowed on 132 hits in 104 innings, with 54 walks and 88 strikeouts.
That. Is. Horrible.
And how have the two pitchers that general manager Alex Anthopoulos has brought in done to help the rotation? The combination of Erlin (8.18 ERA in five starts) and Tommy Milone (14.90 ERA in three starts) have an ERA of 10.55 – 32 earned runs allowed in 27.1 innings pitched.
Josh Tomlin will pitch Friday night. In his last game on Sunday, Tomlin allowed just one run on three hits in 6.0 innings, with no walks and two strikeouts. But we know Tomlin is more well-suited for a mid-relief role, which he’s thrived in the last two years for the Braves.
Right now, however, the Braves have no choice but to use Tomlin in a starter’s role. Anderson will start Saturday and then Wright will pitch on Sunday.
But what about Monday’s game in Baltimore? Who starts that game? And then Tuesday?
With Fried out and Milone even now on the injured list, the Braves have Tomlin, Anderson, and Wright in the starting rotation. That’s it. The front office is praying Cole Hamels will bail them out next week, but how much can he be counted on since he hasn’t pitched in game in almost a full calendar year?
Anthopoulos talked about possibly using Hamels in the Baltimore series. Fried is eligible to come off the injured list on the 16, which could mean Hamels could go on Tuesday and then Fried on Wednesday in Baltimore.
Do the Braves call on Touki Toussaint or Mike Foltynewicz to start Monday? Toussaint has a 6.11 ERA in four starts (12 ER in 17.2 IP). And we’ve heard about how Foltynewicz has gained weight, but has he gained any velocity on his fastball?
It would seem that Sean Newcomb is better suited to be a reliever, so they’re unlikely to try him again as a starting pitcher. But it’s still curious why Newcomb hasn’t even been brought up to replace one of the other relievers unless they just don’t want another left-hander.
The Braves have to hope that Tomlin can at least be a decent starting pitcher, as there’s no doubt he’s better than Erlin and Milone. If Fried can come back from his injury and Hamels miraculously can pitch in a MLB game without much of a buildup of his innings, the Braves could have those three and Ian Anderson as the main four starters.
Then let Wright get the starts as the fifth starter the rest of the season. That’s what Wright should be looked at as anyway – a fifth starter.
And perhaps we know now that Huascar Ynoa is also suited for the bullpen. In his three starts, Ynoa has a 14.29 ERA (nine ER in 5.2 IP), while in four appearances out of the bullpen Ynoa has an ERA of 2.00 (two ER in 9.0 IP).
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