Braves Pitching Staff Silencing Doubts with Early Season Run

Chris Sale once again battled to give the Atlanta Braves the needed quality innings from the starting rotation. Despite allowing eight hits and a walk, he delivered six innings of one-run ball while striking out six en route to the Braves pouncing the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 to win and pick up another series win. 

The 37-year-old starter turned up the dial a touch on the fastball’s velocity, hitting 99.4 mph on the radar gun in the third inning. He continues to defy the expectations of a pitcher his age, and Dylan Dodd was able to follow it up with three strong innings. 

The Braves only needed two pitchers to pick up the win in a blowout. That effort also earned Dodd his first career save. It’s a reflection of what the pitching staff has been working to overcome as a whole. Having these arms come in once through the rotation and providing quality long relief outings has been a breath of fresh air. 

After losing the arms that they did during spring training, the consensus opinion was here we go again. They needed 19 different pitchers to start a game in 2025; 46 arms were used as a whole. 

While the Braves have already used more than five starters this season, it’s been night and day. 

The Braves' pitching staff as a whole leads all of baseball in ERA (2.41), WHIP (1.01), hits allowed (98), runs allowed (44) and earned runs allowed (38). They’re looking way more like the pitching staff that led the way in 2024. 

“I don’t think it could go any better than it has with our pitching,” manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s the starters. It’s the bullpen. These guys, you know, are putting us in position to win virtually every night.” 

What may be just as important as the overall importance is that in the early going, there has been continuity. There has been some debate over the fifth spot in the rotation, but there has been certainty for four of the spots. For much of last season, they could barely find continuity beyond two spots in the rotation. 

They arguably didn’t find it until August, when Sale returned, and Hurston Waldrep and Joey Wentz were able to give them some stability beyond Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder. During that time, they managed their first winning months since April. 

Meanwhile, the bullpen has been able to get the night off multiple nights, and there has been certainty with who can come in for the late innings. Most notably, Raisel Iglesias has been rock solid out of the gate. The tweaks he made in the latter half of last season have carried over. 

So far, they’ve only gotten healthier since the regular season got underway. Daysbel Hernandez is an option in the system again. Spencer Strider is closing in on his rehab assignment. Both are familiar names that only help boost confidence when available. 

As long as that continuity holds together, the doubts can subside for a bit. 

The Braves are set to begin their series with the Marlins. Grant Holmes is scheduled to take the mound to get the series underway on Monday. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m.