“It doesn’t take but one mistake to change the game.”
Rough… Strider Isn’t Himself
The Braves came into tonight hoping Spencer Strider could rediscover his form and lead the way. That didn’t happen.
Strider hasn’t really looked like himself, since returning to the rotation full-time, the concerns with his velocity and command have been clear. Tonight only amplified those issues. To be fair, this is just his fourth start of the season. First returning from his UCL surgery, and then after one start, going out with a hamstring; it has not been easy at all.
Strider will probably not be himself for a while. He just hopes he can be consistent enough to help the team win. Tonight that was not the case.
The first inning set the tone early, as Ketel Marte jumped all over a changeup left over the middle and sent it out to left for a solo home run. Just one out in, Arizona had a 1-0 lead, and the Braves’ ace was already in recovery mode.
To his credit, Strider rebounded with a strikeout to Josh Naylor and got out of the first without further damage. But he still didn’t look settled.
The second inning opened with a familiar villain in Eugenio Suárez, who crushed the Braves in Arizona in April. This time, it was a ground rule double off a 96 mph fastball that caught way too much of the plate. After a strikeout to Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Gabriel Moreno blooped an RBI single into shallow right, scoring Suárez to make it 2-0. The command just wasn’t there again, and Arizona continued to take what Strider gave them.
Then came the third inning. Corbin Carroll led off with a single, and Marte followed with his second home run of the night — this one off a 94.6 mph four-seamer left in the middle again. That swing made it 4-0, and it was evident that Strider had neither the command nor the velocity he needed to compete.
He did make it through a scoreless fourth, but by then the damage was already done.
Atlanta, to their credit, responded in the bottom of the fourth. Drake Baldwin broke up Zac Gallen’s early no-hit bid with a solo home run to put the Braves on the board. Matt Olson followed with a single and later came around to score when Marcell Ozuna reached on an error at third. Ozzie Albies kept the momentum going with a line drive to center that scored Ozuna, and just like that, the Braves had cut the deficit to 4-3.
I thought that maybe the momentum swinging would amp Strider up a bit and maybe the ship would be turned around, but.
Any hopes of a shutdown fifth were dashed when Carroll teed off — this time launching a 438-foot home run off a 95.2 mph fastball left in the heart of the plate. Arizona pushed their lead to 5-3 and Strider’s night was just about finished.
His final line: 5.0 innings, 6 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 home runs, 4 strikeouts, and 2 walks. His ERA now sits at 5.68.
After the game, Strider didn’t shy away from what went wrong. He made it clear that the issue wasn’t just about velocity, but about location — especially on key counts. “Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, the 0-2 pitch to Marte was just a ridiculous mistake that I can’t make. 0-2 count. Had a 3-0 pitch to him, you know, just didn’t want to give in and threw a fastball down the middle and he hit a homer,” Strider said.
“He’s seen me well in my career, but not to take away from him. I think I’ve given him a lot of mistake pitches right down the middle. So regardless of the hitter in the big leagues, they’re going to do damage on those. And so, like I said, I thought there were some streaks where I was really executing pitches and commanding the ball the way I wanted to, but it doesn’t take but one mistake to change the game. So I just need to be more consistent and more effective when I’m ahead. I think that’s really the biggest takeaway for me.”
After the game, Strider also emphasized what he’s trying to accomplish overall. Strider just wants to help the Braves as much as anyone. This is not enjoyable at all and he doesn’t take it lightly. “I just want to put us in the position to win the game. I want to do my job. I don’t really care how it looks. I don’t care how it feels. I don’t need to be spectacular.”
He added that his focus is on the bigger picture and where he wants to be when it counts most. “You know, I like to think that my best stuff is going to come at the end of the season when games matter most for us. You know, if we’re in that position. That’s always my goal.”
I know Strider wants to win, and I know this is tough for him. Never would I or anyone question that. I just hope he can get back there. It is a process, and this is the part that sucks.
When asked about his arm strength and command, Strider didn’t sugarcoat the current reality. “I mean, I don’t think I’m not at full strength. I think I’ve got to move better. I’m not. Mechanics just aren’t consistent. Aren’t synced up. I don’t have that feel. I don’t have any power right now as a result of just not moving well.”
He went into further detail about what exactly isn’t clicking. “I think it’s just producing velocity with my body. I don’t think I’m moving particularly fast. I don’t think I’m getting into my lower half the way I need to. I think the rehab process is just a very slow-moving, repetitive series of slow-effort throws. And, you know, having done it twice now… that’s kind of always the challenge coming out of what is the on-paper rehab process — adding back in full-effort throws.”
He knows what it will take to work back into form, even if it takes time. “It’s just going to be reps and finding different ways in the weight room and, you know, in the bullpen and wherever I can to practice the movement patterns I need and just get more consistent.”
Manager Brian Snitker had some comments when asked about Spencer Strider, and there is no easy answer or fix.
“Yeah, it’s still going to be a process. I know I’ve said it — it just takes time. I’ve seen too many guys go through it. Other guys sitting there behind you have done it too. It just doesn’t come overnight. We all wish it would — I know they do — but it’s a tough process. Honestly, going through this might be tougher than actually coming in here during the dog days, doing the training, and everything else they do to get their performance back where they want it.”
Strider will keep working until he reaches where he needs to be. I don’t see him being sat or sent down unless they determine that he is doing some damage to himself. Only thing that would even help is him being able to get more reps and training without the pressure of winning a major league game. I look for Spencer Strider to just keep working. That is pretty much all he can do at this point.
