Spencer Strider, the Atlanta Braves’ young star right-handed power pitcher faced the Washington Nationals Tuesday night in what was his first start since he went on the injured list on April 21 with a strained right hamstring.
Strider struggled, completing just 4 ⅓ innings, giving up four runs on six hits, including a home run, throwing 75 pitches in his second start of the season. On top of that, Strider, who can easily rack up double digit strikeouts during an average start, only struck out three batters.
However, even though the Braves star pitcher was nowhere near his best in his return, The Morning Shift explained why Strider’s struggles last night shouldn't raise concerns.
“I’m not concerned about his stuff or anything like that," Beau Morgan said. "The concern I have for Strider has always been the same, does he have a dominant out pitch that he can switch it up on, and I don’t think his slider is that. I know that he went and worked on the curveball and everything, and maybe that was sharpness, so maybe it was his sharpness, but I’m not pushing some panic button or anything like that."
Beau finished his thought by saying “I was excited as a fan about it, and I was let down as a fan last night. When I take a step back and think about it and have to talk about it I’m like I don’t expect that kind of outing next time”.
Mike Johnson feels the same way when it comes to having his expectations for Strider’s return set too high.
“It’s definitely a me thing, it's not a Spencer Strider thing," Johnson said. "The expectations for me for Spencer Strider are way too high. It’s something he’s done, but that sits on my shoulders as saying dude I gotta lower that down a little bit I can’t expect a guy to just step in after Tommy John surgery and be this electric Cy Young candidate."
Between rehabbing, bullpen sessions, and throwing simulated games, Strider hasn’t had a chance to get into any sort of rhythm or regular routine this season, and that is something that helps starting pitchers perform well consistently. The fact that Strider struggled last night honestly shouldn’t be concerning or surprising to anyone.
Hopefully Spencer can start getting back to his regular routine now, get into a rhythm, and have the benefits of being able to get back into a regular routine and get into a rhythm show in his next start.