With a lineup featuring three players that were recently DFA’d, the Braves took two out of three against the Phillies and were one clutch hit away from a sweep, in large part due to stellar starting pitching.
Reynaldo Lopez (5.0 IP, 1 ER), Spencer Schwellenbach (6.2 IP, 2 ER), and Max Fried (7.0 IP, 2 ER) combined for 18.2 innings of 5-run ball, while the bullpen was nearly perfect. Over the three games, the Braves relief core surrendered just one run across 8.1 innings.
That is going to be the recipe for success for this Atlanta club. The offense has been terrible all season long, and it’s not going to suddenly turn it around without its best hitters. The Braves must rely on their elite pitching staff, led by arguably the best 1-4 in baseball.
Chris Sale looks primed to win his first ever Cy Young, Max Fried would also be in the Cy Young conversation if not for injury, Reynaldo Lopez looks rejuvenated after spending time on the IL, and Spencer Schwellenbach’s emergence may be the story of the year; in fact, it may be the story of the offseason as well.
The winter will be dominated by Max Fried’s free agency, but Schwellenbach’s ascent has softened the blow of his potential departure. Fried is expected to garner a considerable free agent contract that most believe the Braves will not match. This time last season, the thought of a Braves rotation without Fried might have terrified fans, but a lot has changed over the last calendar year.
The aforementioned Chris Sale was acquired via trade, handed an extension, and has proven to be worth every penny and then some. He’s now the Braves ace at the top, and Alex Anthopoulos’ other offseason acquisition, Reynaldo Lopez, has also proven he’s a more than capable starting pitcher. Add in the return of Spencer Strider and the continued progression of Spencer Schwellenbach, and it almost feels like all that money Max Fried will demand could be better spent elsewhere.
Schwellenbach is coming off an outing in which he recorded nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 series-clinching win against the rival Phillies.
In two starts against Philly, Schwellenbach is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA, 15 strikeouts, 10 hits and just one walk allowed in 12.2 innings. His stat line isn’t overly impressive, just a 3.94 ERA with 94 strikeouts to only 15 walks in 82.1 innings. However, his past eight starts are what really excite me.
Dating back to his July 6th win over the Phillies, he’s 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA, 62 strikeouts and six walks in 50.2 innings over eight starts. To be that young and have that kind of control with the ability to strikeout well over a batter per inning is insane stuff. For an even better perspective, Schwellenbach’s numbers over the last two months are actually better than rookie phenom Paul Skenes’.
Over the Past 2 months (Since 6/22):
Paul Skenes
64.2 IP
3.01 FIP
3.00 xFIP
31.3% K rate
7.3% BB rate
1.6 fWARSpencer Schwellenbach
60.2 IP
2.90 FIP
2.68 xFIP
31.3% K rate
3.3% BB rate
1.6 fWAR#BravesCountry https://t.co/jRBR0mQAUX— Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) August 23, 2024
What makes this story even more enjoyable is how it came out of nowhere. A second-round pick by the Braves out of the University of Nebraska in 2021, Spencer Schwellenbach missed the entire 2022 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and pitched in 16 games in 2023 at both A-ball levels.
This guy started the year in High-A Rome, pitched 13.0 innings in AA Mississippi, skipped AAA completely, and has now pitched like one of the best pitchers on the planet for going on two months. Spencer Schwellenbach is a superstar, and instead of calling Max Fried’s agent this offseason, Alex Anthopoulos might just want to call Schwellenbach’s and get another patented long-term extension done early with the 24-year-old right-hander.
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Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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