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New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
4 Braves takeaways: Vibing after sweep of Mets, 20-year-old pitches Friday, Acuña feats, more
ATLANTA — Eleven days ago, the Braves had stumbled through their second seven-game losing streak of the first half of the season and dropped a sixth consecutive series. Now they've won three series in a row and seven of their last nine games. And four days after an embarrassing 10-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies, the Braves finished a series sweep of their NL East rival New York Mets, who came to Atlanta with the National League's best record, with a 7-1 win Thursday, Advertisement Spencer Strider pitched six strong innings, and Matt Olson broke things open with a three-run double to fuel Atlanta's 26th win in 36 games against the Mets since 2022. 'I feel like that's the closest we've been to playing just a complete series,' said Strider, who had eight strikeouts with one walk. 'We know what we're capable of. Speaking for myself, and I'm sure for everybody else, it's just reassuring to go out and have some justification for the work you've been doing and that belief that we've had this whole time that we can play better baseball. 'Now the challenge is to continue to do it, obviously. It doesn't get easier from here.' Atlanta still trails the Mets and now co-leading Philadelphia Phillies by 10 games in the East, but the Braves have regained momentum and have 10 more games against the Mets, including a four-game series that starts Monday at New York. 'The last three series have been really good, and to cap it off with a (sweep) against the Mets is huge,' said third baseman Austin Riley, who had one of the Braves' season-high nine walks Thursday. 'The biggest thing I hope we can take from this is just that we can compete with anybody. I just hope we can take the confidence away from that and keep it rolling. That was an unbelievable series.' The Braves are within five games of the third and final wild-card spot with 89 to go. Ample time, if they can continue playing as they did during a 5-1 homestand — when the Braves' starting rotation looked as deep as any in the majors and the offense averaged more than 5 1/2 runs despite still having some glaring soft spots in the lineup. After Chris Sale's sensational 8 2/3 innings in Wednesday's 5-0 shutout, Strider came through with his second impressive start in a row. After going 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA in his first starts while shaking off rust from a yearlong rehab for elbow surgery, and also a month sidelined by a hamstring strain, Strider is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA, 21 Ks and two walks in his last two starts. Advertisement 'I kind of feel like our old selves again,' Braves manager Brian Snitker said. 'This was a really good series. Did some things we hadn't been doing. So, hopefully, that's the start of something really good that we continue to build on.' The Braves are calling up Colombian prospect Didier Fuentes, who turned 20 on Tuesday, to start Friday's series opener at Miami after just six starts above Single A. It's a spot start to allow other Braves to get extra rest before next week's series at New York, and a good showing could put Fuentes in line for more chances this summer. Reliever José Ruiz was designated for assignment to open a roster spot for Fuentes, who will be the first major leaguer born in 2005 and only current one under 21. The 6-foot right-hander will be the third-youngest to pitch for the Braves in the team's Atlanta era since 1966. The move will allow Spencer Schwellenbach, Sale and Strider to start on extra rest against the Mets. Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder will start Saturday and Sunday at Miami. Fuentes, who throws a fastball that reaches 97 mph and a slider, entered this spring ranked as the Braves' No. 11 prospect by The Athletic's Keith Law and No. 7 by Baseball America. But after drawing attention at spring training with seven strikeouts in three scoreless innings against Detroit Tigers prospects in the Spring Breakout game, Fuentes climbed to No. 3 in the Braves system according to FanGraphs, which has him 82nd overall in its top 100 prospects. Not bad for a kid the Braves signed for $75,000 in 2022. Didier Fuentes tossed a beaut in his Triple-A debut 👏 4.2 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 0 BB | 6 SO — Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) June 14, 2025 What has Snitker heard about Fuentes from Braves player development officials and minor-league staffers? 'It's just all really good stuff,' Snitker said. 'The guy throws strikes, and he's got a good fastball that plays. It sounds like he's a kid that's kind of above his years, as far as maturity and (throwing) strikes and (his) stuff.' Advertisement Fuentes will be the youngest major-league starter since 2016, when the Los Angeles Dodgers' Julio Urías pitched against the Phillies four days shy of his 20th birthday. Fuentes has pitched in 37 games (33 starts) above rookie ball, including nine starts above Low A, all this season. He's 0-7 with a 4.81 ERA in those nine, but that line doesn't reflect how the Braves view his recent progress. He began the season at High-A Rome and was promoted after three starts to Double-A Columbus, then promoted again after five starts there, which included a 2.57 ERA and .188 opponents' average in his last three. He continued to impress in his Triple-A debut Saturday, allowing three hits and one run with no walks and six strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Fuentes has 48 strikeouts with 12 walks and two homers in 39 1/3 innings this season. The Braves had five sacrifice flies in the first five games of the homestand, the most in the majors during that time. This from a team that had just 12 sacrifice flies through June 12, the fewest in the majors. They also had a majors-worst .267 average with a runner on third and less than two outs before this homestand. They went 3-for-10 with a walk and those five sac flies on the homestand before Thursday, when the big blow in the game was Olson's bases-loaded double with one out in the sixth. 'I feel really good about what we've been doing lately,' Snitker said of situational improvement. 'It's starting to come around with more than just one guy. It's what we've been striving to do. So, hopefully, we're gonna get in a groove where we're passing the baton and keeping the thing moving and being more like what we're capable of.' Riley said of Atlanta's offensive improvement, 'You go through periods where you put pressure on yourself and you want it so bad and then it just kind of spirals. At some point, you just got to let it go, let the game come to you and relax. And I think you're seeing that with some guys, and other guys are feeding off of it. And you're able to move up and down the lineup, flip the lineup. And our pitching has been great.' Advertisement Ronald Acuña Jr. homered on the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning Wednesday off the Mets' Paul Blackburn, his 36th leadoff homer to extend his Braves record. It was Acuña's 15th leadoff homer on the first pitch, the second-most in MLB history behind Hall of Famer Craig Biggio's 19. Since Acuña's 2018 debut, only two others have double-digit leadoff homers: Jose Altuve (12) and Kyle Schwarber (11). First pitch. Ronald Acuña Jr. was ready 😤 — MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2025 The Braves have long been willing to bring up young players sooner than many anticipated, ranging from 19-year-old center fielder Andruw Jones in 1996 to 20-year-old pitchers Michael Soroka (2018) and AJ Smith-Shawver (2023). 'And it doesn't matter if they're young or they've been around a while, when they step on that major-league mound for the first time, you don't know what (will happen),' Snitker said. 'When I managed in Triple A, (former Braves GM John Schuerholz) would call down about bringing a guy up, and I'd say, well, he's done everything he can do here. I have no idea when you put him in that atmosphere in the major leagues what's going to happen. You don't ever know.' Fuentes will be the youngest to pitch in any capacity for the Braves since Mike McQueen made his MLB debut for Atlanta in October 1969, barely a month past his 19th birthday. The youngest Atlanta-era Braves pitcher was Charlie Vaughan, 18 years and 332 days old when he debuted with a start in September 1966. Vaughan was the only major leaguer in 1966 who was younger than Mets rookie Nolan Ryan, who was 19 when he debuted that same month. Vaughan pitched in just two MLB games, that start in 1966 and a relief appearance in June 1969. (Photo of Spencer Strider: Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)
New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mets vs. Braves predictions: MLB Thursday player props, picks, odds
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. The Mets may be catching Spencer Strider at the wrong time. The Braves' ace missed the first few weeks of the season while he was rehabbing from elbow surgery, and then was sent back to the shelf for a month with a hamstring injury. This is just his seventh start of the season. Strider hadn't quite looked like himself until his last outing, posting a 5.40 ERA with just 24 strikeouts in 25 innings through his first five starts. Questions were asked about whether or not Strider had completely recovered from his operation more than a year ago, as his average velocity dipped from nearly 100 mph to the mid-90s. Strider put some of those questions to bed in his last start. He punched out 13 Rockies on Saturday, allowing just three hits and a walk over six innings in what was easily his best outing of the season. Spencer Strider #99 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Truist Park on June 14, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images Now, Colorado may just be the worst-hitting team in baseball, but Strider's fastball looked vintage. He averaged 96.2 mph with his four-seamer – nearly a full mile-per-hour higher than any other game this season – and hit 97.6 mph on the gun, his fastest pitch of the season. His slider also had more life to it, averaging 84.5 mph, once again a season-high. Learn all you need to know about MLB Betting Strider will take the mound for Atlanta on Thursday against their division rival Mets, as the Braves look to get back into the National League playoff picture. Take advantage of what is a diminished strikeout line for the flame-thrower in the hopes that his last outing really was the turnaround for Strider. The play: Spencer Strider Over 7.5 Strikeouts (+135, BetMGM) Why Trust New York Post Betting Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He's particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
Reuters
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Spencer Strider fans 13 as Braves shut down Rockies
June 14 - Spencer Strider struck out a season-high 13 over six scoreless innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the visiting Colorado Rockies 4-1 on Saturday for their third straight win. The Braves lead the season series 4-1 and improved to 20-5 against the Rockies since the start of the 2022 season. Colorado has lost seven of its last eight and dropped to 13-57, the worst start to a season in the modern era, one game worse than the 1932 Boston Red Sox (14-56). Strider (1-5) allowed three hits and walked one to earn his first victory since missing nearly all of the 2024 season with Tommy John surgery. In his last start against the Rockies on Sept. 1, 2022, Strider set an Atlanta franchise record with 16 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings. Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs and two RBIs and to pace the offense. He hit his seventh homer, a 410-foot two-run shot into the left field seats. The Atlanta bullpen covered the final three innings. Rafael Montero pitched a perfect seventh and eighth, striking out four. Dylan Lee allowed an unearned run in the ninth following Austin Riley's fielding error. The losing pitcher was Chase Dollander (2-7), who pitched six innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Dollander, who grew up near Augusta, Ga., has lost his last four decisions and hasn't won since beating the Braves on April 30 in Denver. The Braves scored a run in the first inning. Acuna walked and later scored on Matt Olson's RBI single. Olson has reached base in 16 consecutive games. Nick Allen singled with two outs in the second and scored on Acuna's blast to give the Braves a 3-1 lead. Atlanta tacked on a run in the sixth. Acuna reached on an infield single and took second when third baseman Ryan McMahon's throw sailed high and into the camera well. Acuna scored on Riley's two-out single. Brenton Doyle's two-out RBI single in the ninth scored Hunter Goodman, who had reached on Riley's error. --Field Level Media
USA Today
04-06-2025
- General
- USA Today
Spencer Strider had a brutally honest take on his struggles after surgery
Spencer Strider had a brutally honest take on his struggles after surgery When Spencer Strider broke into the big leagues back in 2021 (and his subsequent rookie season in 2022), he quickly built a reputation as one of baseball's best pitchers by virtue of an electric four-seam fastball. But Strider's career arc faced a serious obstacle when he suffered an elbow injury last season, forcing him to undergo internal-brace surgery — not to be confused with Tommy John, which he already had in college. Strider is back this season, and thus far, he has looked like a shell of the Cy Young Award candidate we watched in 2023. Now, it was always going to be a work in progress, coming off elbow surgery. And that's been obvious in the significant drop in Strider's velocity. His rookie season, Strider's fastball averaged 98.2 mph. He harnessed that velocity a bit in 2023 with a 97.2 mph average, but was still able to hit triple digits when needed. This season, Strider's fastball is at 95.2 mph — in the 68th percentile among big-league pitchers. And on Tuesday, we saw that fastball dip to as low as 93 mph. Sure, there are plenty of pitchers who are effective with 93-95 mph velo, but they aren't doing this: And Strider is well aware that his approach needs to change as he can't beat hitters with his fastball velocity (at least for now). He offered reporters this brutally honest take after the Braves' 8-3 loss to Arizona where Strider allowed three home runs. Via 'Command without stuff is batting practice. That's about what I offered up today. I've got to be better, just to give us a chance.' That's exactly what Strider has been doing post-surgery. He's allowing a league-worst average exit velocity of 94 mph. His whiff rate has cratered. And on top of the velocity drop, he hasn't been consistently commanding his secondary pitches. Just look at what Ketel Marte did to an 0-2 changeup Strider left over the plate. Strider could get away with middle-middle fastballs and mistake pitches when he was throwing 100 mph. He simply can't do that right now. Could the velocity slowly come back as he continues this season or with a full offseason? Sure, it's possible. But Strider very well may be looking at a situation where he needs to reinvent himself or risk falling out as a reliable starting pitcher, much less an ace. He can't continue to approach batters like his 2023 self when the stuff isn't there. It's batting practice, like he said.
Newsweek
04-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
This 280-Strikeout Pitcher Continues to Struggle After Injuries
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Just two seasons ago, a young right-hander by the name of Spencer Strider put together one of the best pitching seasons in the history of MLB. Strider went 20-5 with 281 strikeouts across 32 starts and 186 2/3 innings pitched. He was an All-Star and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting that season. Since then, his career has been on a bit of a slide, and he looks nowhere close to the 20-game winner he was two years ago. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 03: Spencer Strider #99 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on June 03, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 03: Spencer Strider #99 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on June 03, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Strider made just two starts last season before being shut down due to an elbow injury that required surgery to replace his ulnar collateral ligament. That same injury forced his season debut this year to come on April 16, when he allowed two runs and struck out five batters over five innings. Strider suffered a hamstring injury in that outing and was forced to miss over a month before making his next start. Strider allowed five runs, including three home runs, on Monday in Atlanta's 8-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He lasted five innings, the most he's pitched since his season debut in mid-April. 2 at-bats, 2 home runs for Ketel Marte! — MLB (@MLB) June 3, 2025 Strider has made three starts since coming back from the hamstring injury and has allowed 10 runs and struck out 14 across 14 innings pitched. His season ERA is now 5.68 and the Braves have lost all four games he's started. A major area of concern for Strider has been the dip in his fastball velocity. During his 20-win season, his average fastball velocity of 97.2 mph ranked in 92nd percentile. Fast forward to this year and although it is a small sample size, Strider's average fastball velocity has fallen to 95.1 mph and is in the 68th percentile. There is certainly plenty of time for Strider to regain his confidence and find that fastball velocity again, but with at least three more seasons remaining on a six-year, $75 million contract, the Braves may have quite a bit of buyer's remorse if he continues to struggle. More MLB: Yankees-Red Sox Blockbuster Trade Possibility Would Bring $120M Superstar to Bronx
