For four innings last night, Huascar Ynoa couldn’t be touched by the Rockies. He struck out seven, and it looked like he was well on his way to another gem. But unfortunately, he ran into trouble in the fifth, surrendered a couple of runs and couldn’t get out of the inning, extending a streak that is a bit worrisome when talking about the Braves rotation. Outside of Max Fried and Charlie Morton, no other starting pitcher has been able to make it through six innings since August 28th.
#Braves haven't have a starter NOT named Morton or Fried go six innings since August 28th. Ynoa pulled after throwing 92 pitches in 4.2 IP tonight.#Braves https://t.co/e4LGVjEYEq
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) September 16, 2021
The good news is Morton and Fried have been almost untouchable over that stretch. Still, that’s three full rotations since someone else has been able to go deep into a ball game, which isn’t encouraging when you have a bullpen as inconsistent as the Braves. However, I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button just yet.
Ian Anderson, who is scheduled to pitch for the Braves this afternoon, is clearly working out the kinks from his lengthy IL stint. He’s only made three starts since missing nearly two months with a shoulder injury. I have all the confidence in the world he’ll bounce back and be a tremendous #3 for this team, and the Braves might not even need him to do that because Huascar Ynoa has been electric all season.
Sure, Ynoa may not have gone as deep as he would have liked over his last few outings, but he’s never completed less than 4.1 innings in a start and is boasting a spectacular 3.26 ERA and 1.02 WHIP on the season. This guy is legit, featuring a fastball that can touch triple digits and one of the nastiest sliders in baseball. The combination of him, Anderson, Fried, and Morton is as potent as any potential playoff rotation. Of all the things the Braves have to worry about down the stretch and into the postseason, starting pitching is at the bottom of the list.
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