Braves, D-backs face off struggling to meet playoff expectations

Spencer Strider will take another step in his return from injuries when the Atlanta Braves host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.

A return to form for Strider would be welcome news for the Braves, who have lost their last four series and dropped eight of their last 11. Arizona is also struggling, having lost nine of its last 11, but did end a four-game losing streak on Sunday.

The matchup features a pair of right-handers -- Strider (0-3, 4.50) and Arizona's Zac Gallen (3-7, 5.54). The Braves won two of three games when the teams met in Phoenix in April.

Strider's return from UCL surgery has been troublesome. He made his season debut on April 16 and looked good in five innings but strained his right hamstring while playing catch prior to his next start and was shelved for another month. A 20-game winner in 2023, he struggled on May 20 against the Washington Nationals, but looked better against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday when he allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings and fanned seven.

"I think you've got to be honest with yourself and you've got to be patient, but you've got to kind of have some urgency, too," Strider said. "I've said before, I'm not trying to ‘get back.' I think it's got to be a present focus on being the best version of myself tomorrow and the next week and going forward. It's tough because there are moments where things feel very close."

Gallen has dealt with issues this year as well. He has struggled with control, walking 32 batters in 66 2/3 innings. In his breakout year of 2023, he walked only 47 in 210 innings. His strikeout numbers (66) have been down, too.

Gallen has lost three in a row and lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday when he allowed six runs (five earned) over five innings. Over his last four starts, the 2023 17-game winner is 0-3 with an 8.02 ERA, 11 walks and 17 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.

"I get that it's still a third of the way (through the season)," Gallen said. "The season's still not over yet, but time's ticking."

Gallen lost to the Braves on April 25 when he allowed three runs in five innings. In six career starts against Atlanta, Gallen is 2-2 with a 3.50 ERA.

Arizona has other pitching issues, too. Ace Corbin Burnes, who received a six-year, $210 million contract in the offseason, had to leave Sunday's game in the top of the fifth inning after feeling tightness in his elbow. He remained in Phoenix on Monday for an MRI. Burnes was not scheduled to appear in the series against the Braves.

Burnes tried to pitch through the tightness but signaled for a trainer after facing the third batter and left the game.

"It just got to the point where the tightness was just too much," Burnes said. "Didn't feel like we needed to push any farther, so hopefully we caught it early. Hopefully it's not bad, but we'll see."

Manager Torey Lovullo called it a "gut punch" but added, "If it is the worst-case news, we have guys that are ready to step in and we're very capable of putting people in there to help us win baseball games."