4 Braves Takeaways: Despite the setbacks they continue to roll
4 Braves Takeaways: Despite the setbacks they continue to roll
Despite the mounting injuries against the Braves to begin the season, they continue to roll through the schedule. Here we tell you the reason why.
For those of you who haven’t watched the Atlanta Braves play baseball over the past couple of years, here is an update: regardless of who is injure currently in a slump, the Braves continue to win games.
Sean Murphy has been sidelined with a strained oblique since the season’s second game. The team’s ace, Spencer Strider, underwent season-ending elbow surgery after only two starts, and recently, Ozzie Albies joined the injured list because of a fractured big toe. The Braves have faced significant challenges with injuries at the start of the season.
In case you’re not familiar with the Braves’ lineup, three of their eight All-Stars from 2023 are currently unable to play. One might assume that such absences would spell disaster at the season’s start. However, Atlanta began Sunday night’s game against the Texas Rangers boasting the best record in the majors at 14-5, and they were on a six-game winning streak. This impressive run included a road sweep of the Houston Astros, where they excelled in the late innings through formidable offense and bullpen strength.
Here are my four takeaways about how the Braves have continued to thrive even with the setback of injuries continuing to mount.
1. Braves bullpen is a legitimate threat
The ongoing project to ensure the bullpen is championship-ready has been successful this season. The results they are achieving align perfectly with the goals set by Alex Anthopoulos, the general manager and president of baseball operations, who prioritized adding power-armed relievers and enhancing balance from both sides during the offseason. In logical terms, if the weakest link of your team during the playoffs is the bullpen, you must address and resolve the issue.
Before Sunday, Atlanta’s bullpen ERA of 3.42 ranked 10th in the majors, which didn’t fully reflect its usual performance. Out of 26 earned runs attributed to Braves relievers, 15 were conceded in a three-game series against the Mets from April 9 to April 11, following a period of heavy use. This stretch included back-to-back games against Arizona, with Strider’s four-inning last start and Max Fried’s 4 1/3-inning outing where he allowed seven runs.
Prior to Sunday, the Braves’ bullpen boasted a frugal 1.73 ERA in all matchups, excluding their three games against the Mets, conceding 11 earned runs across 57 innings. Only Detroit, with a 1.65 ERA, and Cleveland, with a 2.11 ERA, have bullpen ERAs under 2.81. It’s safe to say that the Braves’ bullpen play has been at an elite level to start the season.
2. Sale and López have been Elite to start the season
There is a general agreement among Braves enthusiasts that Acuña and Strider are the two most vital players for the team as they strive for their seventh straight division title and a significant run in the postseason.
The Braves’ schedule has provided Sale and López with additional rest up to this point. But that doesn’t mean that either of these two pitchers are being limited in their performances. In each of his first three starts, López has completed exactly six innings. Sale pitched into the sixth inning in his first two starts and then completed seven innings in his subsequent two starts.
However, the performance of former reliever Reynaldo López has been unexpectedly outstanding since becoming the fifth starter at the beginning of the season. López, who hadn’t started a game since 2021, has been pitching exceptionally well in the early season, with a 0.50 ERA, the lowest among pitchers with three or more starts in the majors.
Number of starts with at least 5 1/3 innings completed this year:
Chris Sale: 4
Charlie Morton: 4
Reynaldo López: 3
Max Fried: 1
3. Great catcher play
Travis d’Arnaud’s value has become even more apparent with Sean Murphy’s absence in the lineup. Although the veteran catcher hasn’t been particularly known for his power throughout his career, he had an impressive game on Friday, hitting three home runs, and continued his success by adding another home run in Saturday’s 5-2 win. Despite the recent power surge, he has consistently remained the clubhouse leader signal caller since his arrival at the Braves in 2020.
Their catching position is widely regarded as the best in the majors, and they consistently receive both strong defensive play and productive performances from it. d’Arnaud has been shouldering most of the catching duties while Murphy is on the injured list, while Tromp, a Triple-A call-up, is impressing with his self-assuredness in handling pitchers and making game-calling decisions.
Regarding Sean Murphy, oblique injuries can lead to persistent problems if a player returns prematurely, similar to what happened with Brian McCann in 2011. However, in this case, with d’Arnaud securing the position during Murphy’s absence, the Braves are likely to be cautious with Murphy, who has not yet been cleared to begin batting practice. It appears more probable that his return could be expected sometime in May.
4. The Braves stacked lineup
The Braves dominated their opponents, scoring 39 runs while only allowing 19, during a consecutive six-game winning streak. Additionally, they emerged victorious in eight out of their last ten games prior to Sunday. In that game, Marcell Ozuna of the Braves solidified his position as the MLB leader in home runs, hitting a three-run homer in the opening inning and bringing his total to nine homers and 27 RBIs. The Braves were ahead 3-0 when rookie spot-starter Darius Vines surrendered four runs from two home runs in the fourth inning, leading to the Rangers’ 6-4 victory.
Once again, the Braves are leading the league in multiple offensive categories, including average (.283), OBP (.353), slugging (.475), and OPS (.828), just like they did in 2023.
Despite a relatively modest output from superstar leadoff hitter and reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr., who recorded one home run, nine stolen bases, and a .799 OPS over 19 games before Sunday.
The remarkable aspect is that the Braves’ lineup is so robust and powerful that it likely went unnoticed that slugger Matt Olsen had a 1-for-16 stretch in the five games preceding Sunday, with no home runs and 15 strikeouts. Additionally, he posted a .195 batting average over the last 11 games. Despite these unimpressive statistics, Atlanta managed an 8-3 record during this period and scored five or more runs in nine of the games.
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