Between his spectacular mustache and just as impressive pitching, Spencer Strider has far surpassed any expectation that the Braves could have had for him. The young maestro has been excellent on the mound, both from the pen and the starting rotation. The unfortunate reality is that after last night's showing, the bullpen may have shown as great a need for him as that of the starting rotation. In addition to that, the Braves could already be looking into trading for another starter and are looking to bring back Mike Soroka from his long stint on the injured list.
After a fantastic start from Strider was fumbled by the bullpen, the Midday show discussed which of the two units could need him more.
"Strider is going to be great no matter where you put him," Andy said. "But you might also have to consider the amount of innings that he's going to be throwing because he's not too far away from throwing his most innings ever."
Outside of one difficult start against the Giants, Strider has been fantastic in the rotation. He boasts a 3.68 ERA, a .202 batting average allowed, and 42 strikeouts through 29.1 innings pitched as a starter.
Could there be any thought at all to putting him back into the pen in order to fortify that unit?
"I know AJ Minter has been really good, but Will Smith freaks me out, Colin McHugh is OK, but you're putting Darren O'Day in that game last night," Andy Bunker said. "There just seems to be a lot of spots where you find yourself, bullpen-wise, where you're putting a guy in there and just hoping."
This all comes down to where Strider gives you the most value. He has been one of the most consistent pitchers for the Braves and the team needs him to eat innings as much as possible.
Jason Longshore broke it down further, "It's where you're going to have the most impact," he said. "And right now you have to consider it. He's got the game to be a closer, he's got the game to be in that bullpen and be an impactful person, but where can he help you the most?"
Even if he's going five or six innings, is it worth having to wait five days before being able to put him out there? It's a question to consider, but he has been one of your three most consistent pitchers on the mound. Having that out of your rotation can prove to be critical.
Strider has proven to be more than a mustache. He's a versatile weapon that the Braves are fortunate to have. Now, they just need to make sure he's deployed in such a way that he makes as big of an impact as possible.