Braves Spencer Strider Needs to Keep Pushing Through Rough Patch

ATLANTA, Ga. - Spencer Strider hit another August bump in the road Monday night in what turned out to be a 13-9 high-scoring bout in favor of the White Sox. The Atlanta Braves starter only lasted three innings, allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits, including two home runs and one walk, while striking out two. 

It’s the third straight time he’s allowed multiple home runs in a game, and it’s the second time in three starts that he’s allowed 10 or more hits. 

His slider, misplaced or executed, continues to miss some effectiveness. The two-run home run by Luis Robert and the two-run double by Mike Tauchman both came off the slider. 

While the score is closer than the game actually was, the White Sox led 10-1 at one point, Strider’s night was a difference maker in the final score. 

Through three starts in August, he has a 15.43 ERA, with seven home runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings pitched. 

This isn’t going to be a satisfying reason to a lot of people, including Strider himself, but he’s still going through the post-injury motions. It’s easy to forget how recently he’s actually been back in action after missing a year - and then missing another month after one start. 

All he can do is keep pushing. 

“It is very important in those types of situations to get through it,” manager Brian Sntiker said before Strider’s start. “And it’s not easy. It’s not fun for him.”

Snitker keeps the faith in the benefit of Strider eventually getting back into his normal routine, including the normal offseason and Spring Training. Even now, Snitker likes what Strider is trying to do in order to win. 

“His stuff’s plenty good enough, to me, to win,” he said. 

Snitker added that Strider is trying new things right now, and that’s also not helping his performance. This has been discussed before. With decreased velocity and coming off a long-term recovery, he has to reinvent himself. 

Snitker has said before that adjustments are a constant. All major leaguers have to do them with no exceptions. We’ve seen Michael Harris II make adjustments this season to succeed. It’s very different for Strider as a pitcher, but the overall idea is the same. 

He’ll slowly figure out a new way to mix his pitches and perhaps refine some of his pitches further to regain that effectiveness that made him an All-Star not too long ago.  

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