Struggles with starting pitching at the heart of Braves’ June swoon
SAN FRANCISCO — What are the causes of the Braves’ June swoon?
There, of course, could be a number of things to consider. Starting pitching would have to be at the top of that list.
The Braves (48-31) are 8-11 this month after being swept by the Padres in San Diego. Their lead in the NL East, once above double-digit games, has suddenly shrunk to 4½. And to pour some salt in the fresh wound, they’re on a season-worst four-game losing streak ahead of a three-game series against the Giants at Oracle Park.
Injuries to Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin have contributed to some of the turn of fortune. A hitting slump here or there hasn’t helped, either.
A closer look at how the team’s starting pitchers have fared? Well, that explains a lot.
In April, Braves starters went 13-4 with a 3.01 ERA. In May, some red flags began to be raised when that group went 9-9 with a 3.52 ERA.
June? Braves starting pitchers are 6-9 with an ERA of 5.43.
Early in the season, Bryce Elder looked like maybe he was headed for his first All-Star Game since 2023. This month he has allowed 19 earned runs in 22⅔ innings and batters are hitting .309 against him.
Grant Holmes hasn’t made it through five innings in his last three starts. Rookie JR Ritchie had a great relief outing in New York against the Mets — but in his last two starts before being optioned to Triple-A, the 22-year-old was touched up for nine earned runs over 10 innings.
Martín Pérez has as many wins (three) as the rest of the team’s starting pitchers combined, yet even he couldn’t halt the losing streak Wednesday in San Diego in a 5-2 defeat. Even the seemingly immortal Chris Sale has failed to complete six innings of work in each of his past three starts.
Braves manager Walt Weiss has repeatedly said since spring training how a team’s success is determined by starting pitching. And his team is not having much success through the year’s sixth month, a month in which the Braves have just four quality starts (six innings pitched while allowing three earned runs or less).
Where do the Braves go from here?
Reynaldo López will take the mound Friday against the Giants but will only pitch a maximum of three innings and/or 60 pitches, thus forcing the bullpen (which had to cover four innings with five relievers Wednesday) to do yeoman’s work after López exits the game. It will be the right-hander’s first start since April 21.
Holmes’ start in the rotation will be skipped this weekend and then the Braves have an off day Monday, followed by 13 straight games before the All-Star break July 13. Elder, Sale, Holmes and Pérez will get their chances in those games, and Weiss said Wednesday that López has an opportunity to get back in the mix for a starter’s spot as well.
The Braves could also turn to Ritchie, Hurston Waldrep or Owen Murphy, who are all with Triple-A Gwinnett. Didier Fuentes has carved out a nice role for himself in the Braves’ bullpen this season, but the 21-year-old also has three starts at Triple-A this season, along with one with the Braves and four with the team in 2025.
It’s also far too early in the scope of it all to expect the Braves to make a major trade to acquire a starting pitcher. There is a little more than a month left until the Aug. 3 trade deadline and still more than half the season left to be played.
Regardless, no matter who the Braves turn to in a starter’s role the rest of this month — and the rest of this summer — it will be necessary for those players to right the course of the team’s current direction.