Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider returned to the mound Tuesday after a lengthy stay on the injured list, but things didn’t go all too well for him in his first start since April 16.
Strider surrendered four earned runs, six hits and one walk while striking out three batters across 4 1/3 innings during the team’s 5–3 defeat against the Washington Nationals. He didn’t have his best stuff throughout his outing, and he acknowledged as much after the game.
During his postgame media address, Strider candidly reflected on his outing, taking ownership for his lackluster performance and how that impacted his team.
“I don’t enjoy failing, and certainly not at the expense of the team. We sent a pretty good guy [Bryce Elder] down [to Triple A] that was supposed to pitch in my spot. That’s not lost on me. It’s kind of the nature of the game. I think it’s important to have that perspective when the goal is to win. That takes 26 guys. The guy who’s starting on the mound is a big component in coming out and winning every day, so if I can’t be better, I don’t need to be out there. I think everybody has that mentality at any position. I’m going to have to work to be better,” Strider said, via Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I certainly want to play, but I take no joy in not giving us a chance. If I don’t feel like I can provide for the team, then I don’t take much pleasure in losing games for us,” he added.
Strider enjoyed a sensational 2023 season, during which he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting and made the All-Star team. That season, he struck out a league-best 281 batters and owned a 3.86 ERA. Injuries have derailed him a bit of late, however, keeping him sidelined for all but nine innings of the 2024 season and again impacting him at the start of the ’25 campaign.
Considering his dominance in previous years, Strider knows he’s not living up to expectations on the mound, and offered some rather harsh self-assessment of his performance.
Strider’s next scheduled start is slated for Sunday, May 25 against the San Diego Padres.
