Josh Tomlin received the start in Sunday night’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies and showed that — while he’s been a productive reliever for Atlanta — he’s not the answer to the Braves starting rotation woes.
After allowing four earned runs off three home runs in just three innings, the Braves turned to Touki Toussaint, officially ending his stint in the rotation that only lasted four starts. And his time in the bullpen doesn’t look like it is going to last much longer, either. The Braves have yet to announce that they have optioned him to Gwinnett, but I can’t imagine he’s on the active roster by the time they play the Yankees on Tuesday.
That leaves Atlanta with just one remaining starting pitcher — Max Fried. He’s been unbelievable this year, but winning this way isn’t sustainable. The Braves need answers, and they need them fast.
I fully expect Atlanta to announce Ian Anderson as Tuesday’s starter against the Yankees. Normally, that would be a daunting task for one’s MLB debut. However, the Yankees are missing a few critical pieces in their lineup. The trade deadline is also just over a week away, and the Braves should be one of the more active teams again this year.
The good news is — despite all the shuffling of starting pitchers — Atlanta somehow keeps finding ways to win. The Braves are 16-12 and have a comfortable two-game lead in the division over the Marlins, who seem to finally be losing their grip after hanging in the race for the first month.
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