Spencer Strider’s struggles continue as Braves’ win streak snapped in 13-9 loss

The Braves, winners of five consecutive games, returned home only to be vanquished by one of the sport’s worst teams.

Anyone who’s followed the Braves this season probably wasn’t surprised. It’s not a year that will be remembered for sustained goodness.

The Braves lost to the White Sox 13-9 in Monday’s series opener, snapping a season-long winning streak that started with two victories in New York and continued with a sweep in Cleveland over the weekend.

It’s more about the fashion in which this loss occurred: The Braves were down 10-1 and 13-5 but battled back into contention. The eighth inning ended with Eli White - who’d replaced outfielder Michael Harris II with the game seemingly out of reach - striking out with the bases loaded.

Ultimately, the team couldn’t overcome an early hole caused by its uneven ace starter. Spencer Strider, in his first season back after undergoing UCL surgery, once again struggled mightily. It’s been a maddening few starts for one of baseball’s greatest arm talents.

Strider pitched just three innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits. He struck out two and walked one. He gave up another two home runs, bringing his total to seven over his past 11-2/3 innings (three starts).

“I can’t compete in the strike zone,” Strider said. One of baseball’s best minds, he’s been upfront and insightful about his recent issues. He’s noted his fastball isn’t getting the necessary movement to be effective, which was on full display when Brooks Baldwin homered off him in the third. His slider isn’t inducing chases out of the zone while behind in counts. And it’s getting pummeled in the zone.

Over this troublesome span, Strider has surrendered 20 runs on 29 hits. He’s struck out only 10 and walked four. The velocity hasn’t been an issue (he’s hovered around 96 mph, and the number was slightly up Monday). Be it the stuff or execution, it has been problematic to the point that it’s produced as gruesome a stretch as imaginable for any pitcher, much less one with Cy Young winner capabilities.

The offenses he’s faced during this time: Milwaukee (No. 1 in runs scored), New York Mets (No. 14), and the White Sox (No. 28). In other words, he was knocked around by a good, middling, and bad lineup.

“If I had an answer, I’d have certainly done it by now,” Strider said. “It’s not a simple concept. Technically, it’s very close. But close in baseball is obviously a world of difference. I think even independent of the fastball movement not being where it needs to be, I can still execute it better than I am. But the reason it’s not moving the way I need it to move is because I’m not moving the way I need to move, and that makes executing hard.

“It’s trying to string together consistent pitches and sequences. I’m just not able to do it. There are reasons for that that are technical, but there are no excuses for it.”

Strider had a 3.07 ERA with a 73:24 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his 10 starts before this recent stretch. Now he must solve how to get back to serviceable form. He’ll have to gut through it and reach better days. Perhaps a revenge tour awaits next season.

The immediate situation is moot anyway. The Braves would need a miracle to even get within striking distance of a wild card spot. But Strider needs to be fully operational for 2026. The Braves need him to be back in ace form for what they hope will be a bounce-back campaign for the entire organization.

There have been encouraging signs lately. The Braves are 5-2 over the past week, but they’ve lost both of Strider’s starts.

“We were winning games, doing great, and had some momentum; regardless of what that means for the season, that’s just a fun thing for the team,” Strider said. “It’s good for us to succeed. So, of course I want to try to put us in position to continue that. I really blew it. That’s unacceptable.”

A bright spot: Harris had four hits, including a home run, further extending his remarkable turnaround. He has an 11-game hitting streak, producing 10 multi-hit efforts over that time. Harris is 23-for-46 during his streak. Nine of his 22 hits have gone for extra bases.

Manager Brian Snitker removed Harris late just to get him off his legs. He’s been a workhorse in the outfield.