PHILADELPHIA – With the National League East hanging in the balance over the final two weeks of the regular season, the Braves suffered a blow.
The club Saturday placed right-hander Spencer Strider on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Wednesday, with a strained left oblique muscle. Strider won’t be eligible to return until Oct. 6, which means he will miss the rest of the regular season (The Braves’ regular-season finale is scheduled for Oct. 5 in Miami).
Asked if there is concern about Strider’s availability for the start of the postseason, manager Brian Snitker said: “Yeah, there’s concern. Hopefully he heals up and is available. That’s just something we’ll know in a week or so.”
Snitker said Strider passed the various tests he underwent before throwing off a mound. But when he got on the mound and started to throw, he felt something.
“I hate it for him,” Snitker said. “He’s sickened by it. He just wanted to keep going.”
“He’s done a great job all year,” fellow rookie Vaughn Grissom said. “I feel like this isn’t going to hurt him so much. He’s going to be straight for the playoffs when we need him, really.”
Snitker said he doesn’t know how long Strider will be shut down before he can begin throwing again. “Just until he checks out, I guess,” the manager said.
In his last start, Sept. 18 versus the Phillies, Strider reported the left oblique discomfort that he felt during the outing. It was not enough to pull him then. The Braves eventually pushed back Max Fried to Thursday and started Bryce Elder on Wednesday.
Elder could remain in the rotation. Kyle Muller, who has a 3.41 ERA over 23 starts in Triple A this year, is another option. Elder has pitched well in a few spot starts. Muller has allowed nine runs in his last 11 innings in the minors, but made a successful spot start in August.
“It’s been good,” Snitker said of the club’s depth. “They’ve done a good job. We lost two of the depth pieces last week in Ian (Anderson) and (Mike) Soroka. It would’ve been nice to have the experience of one or both of those guys to plug in.”
Anderson, who had been pitching in Triple A, recently suffered an oblique strain. The Braves shut down Soroka, who developed elbow soreness while pitching in Triple A.
Strider has a 2.67 ERA over 31 appearances – 20 of them starts – this season. In his most recent outing, he eclipsed the 200-strikeout mark. He is in the mix to win National League Rookie of the Year.
“He just doesn’t care who’s up there,” Grissom said. “He feels like he’s in control all the time, which is really all you need in a sport like this. It’s just like that confidence every pitch.”
Strider is an important piece in the Braves’ rotation, but they will not have him for the final regular-season push. Strider has not pitched since Sept. 18, but teams can backdate injured list placements a maximum of only three days.
The Braves entered Saturday 2-1/2 games behind New York. While winning the division provides a huge advantage in October, the Braves need Strider to achieve their overall goal of winning a World Series.
“I’m glad he didn’t try and cover it up, because if he tries to cover it up and he made his next start, he probably would’ve blew it,” Snitker said. “It’s smart on his part that he made us aware of this because obviously it was something.”
If the Braves do not win the division, they will open the postseason in the wild card round on Aug. 7. If they capture a fifth straight NL East crown, they will begin the playoffs on Oct. 11.
The Braves on Saturday recalled right-hander Alan Rangel to Atlanta. His first appearance would be his MLB debut.
The Braves also reinstated infielder Ehire Adrianza from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Rylan Bannon to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Strider finishes the regular season with 202 strikeouts over 131-2/3 innings pitched. He reached the 200-strikeout mark in a season faster than any pitcher in MLB history.
He is now sidelined with the oblique strain.
“Hopefully the time off will knock it all out,” Snitker said.
A different lineup
Snitker gave Matt Olson a day off on Saturday. In addition, Ronald Acuña (mid-back tightness) was out of the lineup for a third straight game.
Austin Riley started the game at first base for Olson, while Orlando Arcia started at third base. Dansby Swanson led off again, with catcher William Contreras batting second.
With Acuña and Strider, the Braves were dealt a tough hand. You can add Ozzie Albies to the mix here.
But Snitker assured the Braves are still focused on winning the division.
“We’re still going to try and win every game we play,” he said. “You go through things like this. You hate it when it happens. It’s not good any time it happens, really. But it’s just things that every team has to navigate. The depth of your organization is critical. We have guys to plug in. We’re still gonna go after this thing and give it our best shot, that’s for sure.”
Rangel: ‘For me, it’s a dream come true’
When the Braves told Rangel they were calling him up, he called his dad, then his mom. He said his mom began crying.
“For me, it’s a dream come true,” he said through interpreter Franco García. “I never really thought that this would happen, let alone this year. I feel like I’m living my childhood dream.”
Rangel posted a 5.26 ERA over 26 starts (114 2/3 innings) in Double A this season. He struck out 139 batters and walked 50.
Rangel said he will attack the zone with his fastball and use his changeup as his primary strikeout pitch. He said he can also use his slider or curveball to strike out hitters.
Asked what message he had for kids who hoped to one day be in his position, Rangel, who is from Mexico, said: “Don’t give up, don’t despair. It’s hard, it’s really hard, but just keep working hard and dreams can come true.”
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