With both Max Fried and Kyle Wright set to miss upwards of two months, the Braves are in a bit of a pinch at starting pitcher. While Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Charlie Morton are putting together strong seasons, there's still a gaping hole in the rotation.
Jesse Chavez will attempt to play the role of a stopgap with his Saturday start against the Seattle Mariners, but John Fricke has about had it with the "bullpen game" approach.
He is especially irritated when there is a clearly better option just an hour up the road.
"I hate, hate, hate bullpen games," he said with disgust. "I don't like them at all [because] bullpen games are for losing teams. They are a detriment to you on every single level."
Atlanta has played two such games, and they've lost both while burning through at least a half dozen bullpen arms in the process. To make matters worse, Friday's game began a 13-game stretch without a day off. Unless they expect to run through their pen, the signs should point to a potential Michael Soroka appearance.
"There's a scratch-hole next Thursday in the pitching rotation and it would otherwise be a bullpen game for when the Phillies come to town," Fricke definitively said on Saturday morning. "I don't see any reason that [Michael] Soroka doesn't start."
The 25-year-old right hander is fresh off of another strong start in Gwinnett after tossing 4.2 innings and allowing only two hits. He struck out five and only walked one.
Beyond his Thursday start, the rest of his season has been a bit of a mixed-bag. He's started seven games but has accrued a 4.91 ERA. Yet in those 29.1 innings pitched, Soroka has struck out 27 compared to only walking eight batters -- a 2.5 BB/9 ratio that's on par with many of his years in Atlanta. Another thing worth noting is that he's only made it past the fourth inning twice.
It's clear that the Braves are being cautious with him, for obvious reasons, but the Braves are reaching some perilous waters.
"The rotation is only four-deep right now," he said. "It's Strider, it's Elder, it's Morton, and Shuester -- he's now in the rotation, at least at the moment."
That rotation has managed to get the Braves (28-16) this far, but trusting a bullpen to continue to mop up every fifth day is simply not a recipe for success. Soroka is the best option left on the board, and the club needs him sooner rather than later.