Braves Hammer Out Rotation Plans Ahead of Tigers Series

The Atlanta Braves have settled on their rotation for the upcoming series against the Detroit Tigers. Manager Walt Weiss said that Martín Pérez will get the start on Tuesday, JR Ritchie will get his second career start on Wednesday and Bryce Elder will be back out there on Thursday. 

Reynaldo López will stay in the bullpen for now. However, Weiss emphasized that they still see him as a starting pitcher for now. 

“He’s working through some things, delivery-wise, that type of thing,” Weiss said. “And he’s getting there, and when he’s right, he’s one of our best starters. I mean, he was our No. 2 guy coming out of camp, even with some of the issues he had at the end of spring training.” 

The Braves' rotation will be decided on a series-to-series basis. Some of it will depend on how they manage the staff, especially the bullpen. For example, Pérez was scratched from his last start because he had to come in to relieve Didier Fuentes, leading to Ritchie’s call-up.

Dylan Dodd, who has been a long-relief option, is out with a back injury, and they also try to shuffle other starting pitchers around to keep them fresh. Sale started on Sunday instead of Friday, in part for that reason. 

While we know certain starters are in the rotation, such as Sale, Holmes and Elder, who goes in what order and who could potentially get the other starts isn’t going to be so clear-cut. 

Spencer Strider is working his way back from an oblique injury. He stretched out to 82 pitches on Sunday. He could be in a position to return to Atlanta for his next start, but that’s something that is to be determined. 

Should Strider be available, that would provide some relief. That being said, it could be worth getting him the extra rehab start if it helps the team in the long-term. 

Ritchie is coming off his major league debut on Thursday. After allowing a home run on the first pitch he threw in the bigs, he settled in to pitch seven innings of two-run ball while striking out seven. He was already expected to pitch in the Tigers series, but the date has been locked down. 

Elder last pitched on Saturday. He delivered seven innings of three-run ball for the Braves in what was ultimately a losing effort. He had been in line for the win before the bullpen lost in the late innings. 

The Braves have Monday off, and then, they’ll get that Tigers series underway. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 7:15 p.m.