The Braves are still sitting on top of the NL East, but the one area that keeps refusing to cooperate is the pitching staff. Atlanta’s rotation and bullpen have both been shaky enough this season that the club was looking for another starter at the trade deadline. That never materialized, and now the questions around the staff are only getting louder.
MLB.com’s Jason Foster pointed to the frustration around the deadline approach, writing, “There are well-documented reasons why the Braves were in the market for a frontline starter at the Trade Deadline. Though they added a depth piece in Tyler Mahle, they didn't land the type of clear difference-maker that many fans wanted. As the team heads down the stretch, there’s now even more scrutiny on a few things: the lack of a potent 1-2 punch for the postseason, their bullpen's durability and the rotation's overall dependability,”
That backdrop makes every starting pitching decision feel bigger than it should, and Grant Holmes’ rough outing on Saturday only turned up the heat. Holmes had actually been pitching well enough to earn some patience, at least on paper.
“Holmes entered Saturday having constructed a scoreless six-inning effort in both of his two previous August starts. He had also produced a 2.45 ERA in his past seven starts going back to July 3.
So, he deserves some leeway, right? One bad start shouldn’t remove him from the rotation, right?
Well, the chatter certainly wouldn’t be as loud if there wasn’t anticipation about when Smith-Shawver might arrive and how he might fit,” MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wrote.
Even with that recent run, Holmes has not exactly been a lock to work deep into games. He has often been capped at four innings, and sometimes five, which is why some around the team see the bullpen as a possible fit for him. But Braves manager Walt Weiss does not seem inclined to make that switch.
“Weiss said he expects Holmes to stay in the rotation. When asked if Smith-Shawver could come up as a reliever, it acknowledged it as an option, but said that really hasn’t been discussed. If the bullpen is taxed again tomorrow, there will certainly be a need for help in the pen,” Bowman posted.
That’s the part likely to rub plenty of Braves fans the wrong way. Holmes staying in the rotation could mean Atlanta is leaning on a pitcher who has had trouble consistently getting through five innings, while Smith-Shawver may be pushed into a relief role after spending the last month preparing to return as a starter.
The contrast is obvious. Holmes could be useful in shorter relief work, where three or four innings would still help.
But as a starter, the expectation is usually five innings or more, and that has not been Holmes’ strength, even during his better stretch. He has also battled a high walk rate.
Smith-Shawver looks like the cleaner fit to start. He has been a starter his whole career, carries a blazing fastball, and could give the Braves a fresher arm at a time when they badly need dependable innings down the stretch. For now, though, the early read from Weiss is that Holmes stays in the rotation, and that setup is not likely to make many fans happy.
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