What do the Braves do with the starting rotation?
Here are some very disturbing numbers for the Atlanta Braves.
First, the trio of Max Fried, Ian Anderson and Mike Soroka have combined for an 8-1 record and a 2.17 ERA in 13 games. They’ve allowed 49 hits in 70.2 innings, 18 runs, 17 earned runs, 24 walks and 65 strikeouts.
And how have the rest of the Atlanta Braves starting pitchers done? They are a combined 0-9 in 22 starts, with an 8.24 ERA, 91 hits allowed in 78.2 innings, 74 runs allowed, 72 earned runs, 47 walks and 68 strikeouts.
Ugh.
Robbie Erlin goes Wednesday night for the Braves. He's pitched four innings in each of his three starts for Atlanta. The first start was good, as he pitched four scoreless innings. Erlin has unfortunately gotten worse as he's started more, giving up two runs in the second start and four runs in the third start.
So, in three starts, Erlin has allowed six runs in 12.0 innings, with four walks and 11 strikeouts. We'll see if he can pitch more than 4.0 innings Wednesday night, or if the Braves will be more strict and pull him before he goes through the Boston lineup for the second time.
Here are the ERAs of the non-Max Fried, Ian Anderson starting pitchers for the Braves in the current rotation: Robbie Erlin (4.50), Tommy Milone (5.68) and Josh Tomlin (7.15).
And the career ERAs for those three: Milone (4.51), Erlin (4.65) and Tomlin (4.68). How long do the Braves stick with these three?
Do the Braves reach back down into the other alternate camp for another starting pitcher?
Touki Toussaint and Kyle Wright have started eight games between them in Atlanta this season. Their combined numbers are horrible. They are 0-4 with a 6.63 ERA. Toussaint and Wright have allowed a combined 24 earned runs on 30 hits in 32.2 innings, with 26 walks and 33 strikeouts.
The trio of Touki Toussaint (5.65), Bryse Wilson (7.22) and Kyle Wright (7.52) has pitched in a combined 62 career games with 23 starts and have a combined ERA of 6.40.
GM Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday that Mike Foltynewicz has gained more weight, and that Sean Newcomb has tweaked his delivery.
And then, there's always the Cole Hamels possibility. Could he return from his injuries to be a factor in late-September?
The Braves will have Erlin Wednesday, then the day off Thursday and a double-header with the Nationals on Friday. We'll see who they may bring up to pitch in one of the games of the DH then. Whomever it is, they better do well. The Braves need them.
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