The Braves have a playoff pitching question on their hands, but it isn’t the one a lot of people expected after the trade deadline. Atlanta may actually have more usable starting options than it knows what to do with, at least if the postseason opens with a three-game Wild Card series.
The first two spots look pretty straightforward. The source points to one pitcher as the clear choice for Game 1, while Tyler Mahle has become the favorite for Game 2 thanks to the way he’s thrown the ball since arriving at the deadline. After that, though, things get interesting with Grant Holmes and Martin Perez in the mix.
Holmes has made four starts in his last seven in which he’s worked six shutout innings. Perez, though, has been on another level at Truist Park.
Over his last six home starts, Perez has put together a 0.28 ERA, which is the lowest mark by a Braves pitcher in that span since 1912.
That trend held up again Thursday afternoon against the Rays. Perez left after seven scoreless innings with the game still tied at zero, giving up just four hits and two walks. The Braves had to scratch and claw for the rest of it, because the offense was quiet for most of the afternoon.
Atlanta had only two hits through seven innings, then finally broke through with five hits in the eighth and pushed across three runs. Raisel Iglesias finished it off in the ninth, and the Braves avoided the sweep while also holding their ground in the standings.
That was helped by the Astros, who took two of three from the Phillies. Now the Braves and Phillies head into their weekend series with plenty on the line. Atlanta sits 4.0 games up in the division, and because it owns the season-series tiebreaker, that edge functions like a 5.0-game lead entering their final meeting of the year.
If the Braves finish the job and lock up the division, they’ll most likely land the third seed in the National League. That would set them up for a three-game home series in the first round, and with the way Perez has handled Truist Park lately, it’s hard not to see him as a serious candidate to start one of those games.
In Other News...
Braves Suddenly Have An Outfield Problem They Didnt Plan For
Lane Thomas was already fighting for his place in Atlantas outfield mix, and now the Braves have to navigate life without him for at least a stretch after placing him on the injured list with an intercostal injury. Since arriving, Thomas has struggled to get much going at the plate, batting .171/.261/.317 in 21 games, and the injury only adds to the uncertainty around how often he would have played even if he had stayed healthy.
For a club that has leaned on depth to get through the season, losing another outfield option is more than a small inconvenience. It tightens the margin on the bench and could force the Braves to shuffle the roster to cover innings and at-bats in the outfield, especially while they try to sort out who can handle regular work and who might simply be insurance. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Took Another Hit To Their Pitching Depth
The Braves saw another bit of pitching depth slip away when the Giants claimed right-hander Duncan Davitt off waivers and sent him to Triple-A Sacramento. San Francisco cleared room on its 40-man roster by designating Spencer Bivens for assignment, a reminder of how quickly these fringe arm transactions can ripple through a bullpen picture this time of year.
Atlantas interest, of course, is less about the Giants paperwork than its own October posture. The club placed Bryce Elder on the injured list while activating Reynaldo Lpez, a move that keeps the big-league staff aligned for the postseason but also underscores how thin the cushion can be when injuries and roster churn hit at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Add Catching Depth As Their October Plan Gets More Interesting
The Braves added another layer to their catching picture on September 1, signing Eric Haase to a minor league contract and sending him to their Florida complex. It is the kind of low-risk move that can matter in September, especially for a team always trying to keep its roster flexible as the calendar turns toward October. Atlanta already views Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy as its catching duo, but the addition of Haase gives the club another experienced name to keep in the mix.
Haase has been around the block this season, having played for three organizations, including the Giants and White Sox. His appeal has always been obvious enough: real power from a catcher, even if the strikeouts have come with it. If the Braves decide they want him available for the postseason, he is eligible as long as the paperwork is filed by the league deadline, leaving at least one more roster decision hanging as the October picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]