It’s celebration time for many in the Atlanta Braves organization after clinching a postseason berth following Game 162 of the season, but Brian Snitker doesn’t have much time to think about what this club has accomplished.
The Braves have a quick turnaround, as their Wild Card series begins tomorrow with the Padres, and nobody really has a clue who is going to pitch.
The news surrounding Chris Sale is devastating. He was scratched from Monday’s start due to back spasms, and Brian Snitker said after the game that he doesn’t believe Sale will be available for the Wild Card series, leaving the Braves without a fresh starting pitcher on their current roster.
Spencer Schwellenbach is obviously unavailable after pitching Monday afternoon. Reynaldo López is as well, after pitching two out of the last three days, and so is Charlie Morton. Max Fried is penciled in to start Game 2, and even Grant Holmes isn’t an option after starting in place of Sale on Monday.
The Braves could opt to do a traditional bullpen game, but after a doubleheader, that might not really be on the table either. That likely means turning to someone that hasn’t made a major-league start in months, with three options making the most sense — Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Ian Anderson.
None of them are exactly inspiring candidates.
Bryce Elder has been dreadful ever since the second half of last season and owns a 6.52 ERA over 10 starts this year. Not to mention, the last time we saw him on the road in the postseason, he got clobbered by the Philadelphia Phillies.
AJ Smith-Shawver offers a little bit more in terms of upside, but he’s made a grand total of just one appearance at the major-league level this season. He also wasn’t exactly lights out in Gwinnett, recording a 4.86 ERA over 20 starts.
Ian Anderson actually might be the Braves best bet if they don’t opt to go the bullpen route, which is crazy to say about a pitcher that hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. However, if there’s one thing we know about Ian Anderson, it’s that he doesn’t blink, which makes him an intriguing wild card candidate. In eight career postseason starts, the 26-year-old right-hander owns a 1.26 ERA.
Your guess is as good as mine as far as where the Braves might turn for Game 1, but it undoubtedly looks bleak. With that being said, postseason heroes can come from anywhere. Bryse Wilson‘s six innings of one-run ball in the 2020 NLCS is the perfect example of that, so while the Braves won’t have the advantage going into Tuesday night’s clash with the Padres, baseball typically has a funny way of playing out.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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