Spencer Strider had another out-of-character night in the Atlanta Braves’ 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. It was a slightly better six innings, allowing four runs – three of which were earned.
Up until the bottom of the fourth, he looked like he was in for a clean outing. Then, he allowed two walks that were driven in on double by Mike Yastrzemski and another run scored on a fielding error committed by Ozzie Albies at second base.
Strider is now 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA, which when down in his recent start.
Regardless of what he was or wasn’t responsible for, it was an outing Strider would never tell you he’s happy with. He expects too much of himself.
It’s frustrating that he hasn’t come back and been the hero many were hoping he would be immediately. It didn’t help that he had a dominant return in Spring Training and then excelled in his rehab starts in Triple-A. But the reality is that while that was live-action, it was far from the real thing.
It’s a reminder that he returned from elbow surgery, where he spent nearly a year not pitching in live games. He also then lost a couple more weeks because he hurt his hamstring. It’s not like any of this is uniuqe to him. Many pitchers need to time after missing a year due to a UCL injury to become their old selves again. He’s not done for. He’s learning to be his post surgery self.
He’s not pumping fastballs consistently in the upper 90s anymore. On average, his fastball is two miles per hour slower than it was in 2023 (95.2 vs 97.2). When velocity wanes, it requires an adjustment to remain successful.
For what it’s worth, his slider and curveball has been tough for hitters.
Strider needs the time to become his post-surgery self. It doesn’t always come quickly, but it can be done. Patience is key. Everyone who has gone through an injury and had to recover knows it takes time to return to full normalcy. Strider shouldn’t be on a shorter timetable because he’s a starting pitcher. It’s better that he takes the time to figure it out instead of doing something wrong that sets him back further.
