NLDS Game 4: Braves’ Spencer Strider says ‘blame him’

Spencer threw two bad pitches out of 96 in 5-2/3 innings. The two bad ones resulted in homers, one by Nick Castellanos, who added another on a good pitch later, and one by Trea Turner, to lift the Phillies to a 3-1 victory and eliminate the Braves from the playoffs in four games.

“So if anybody’s looking for an excuse, or for someone to blame, you can blame me,” Strider said. “And I’ve got a year to get back to this position. And hopefully, I’m going to put it in – I know, I’m going to put in – the work to make sure that doesn’t happen (again).”

In Game 1 at Truist Park on Monday, Strider allowed one earned run and struck out seven.

As was the case then, the Braves’ batters failed to give Strider much support. After being shut out in Game 1, they mustered a single run in Game 4.

“As I told Spencer, he kind of wanted to do more, and I was like, my God, all the jams he got out of and how he pitched today and gave up three solo homers,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He left it all out there. And he threw the heck out of the ball Game 1, too. Just so proud of that kid where he’s come this year. I mean, my God, he’s weathered storms more than us once in his first full year as a major league reliever. And to see how he went out here in this postseason, this kid – the sky is the limit for him.”

Phillies fans chanted “We want Strider” near the end of Wednesday’s 10-2 rout. They shortened the chant Thursday to “Strider, Strider, Strider” as he warmed up before the bottom of the first inning.

Strider, a favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award after winning an MLB-best 20 games, didn’t seem affected. He clocked more than 100 mph with pitches multiple times.

But the Braves ran into a hot-hitting team that defied history and probability.

Castellanos was 3-for-17 against Strider before Thursday. Castellanos walked in his first at-bat. He answered Austin Riley’s home run in top of the fourth with one in the bottom, turning on a slider that Strider hung in the middle of the strike zone.

Turner was 0-for-14 against Strider before Thursday. Turner blasted another hanging slider to left field on Strider’s first pitch in the fifth to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. It was Turner’s third hit in as many at-bats.

“You can’t hang sliders to good hitters,” Strider said.

Castellanos hit his second home run – the second time in as many games he hit two home runs – in the sixth inning, hitting a four-seam, 100-mph fastball 415 feet to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

“I gave him my best fastball, and he hit it,” Strider said.

Snitker pulled Strider after Castellanos’ final homer. He struck out seven, gave up seven hits and walked three. He got out of trouble in each of the first three innings, forcing the Phillies to strand five base runners.

“Strider came out, gave us great start today,” first baseman Matt Olson said.

Strider’s two outings were the only ones in which the starting pitcher gave the Braves a chance. Max Fried gave up three earned runs in four innings in his only start in Game 2. Bryce Elder gave up six earned runs in 2-2/3 innings in Game 3.

The Phillies’ Ranger Suarez, who opposed Strider in games 1 and 4, gave up 1 earned run in 8-2/3 innings. Aaron Nola gave up two earned runs in 5-2/3 innings in Game 3. Zack Wheeler gave up two earned runs in 6-1/3 innings.

“We are not a group that makes excuses. I’m not a person that makes excuses,” Strider said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of Braves fan out there that aren’t happy. And they have every right to be that way. We’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves, and me personally, I wasn’t good enough. I can tell you this, though, that we’re going to give everything we have over the next year to getting back to this position and making sure that we don’t have it happen this way again.”