Atlanta Braves 3 reasons not to panic over August pitching struggles

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The month of August hasn’t been kind to the Atlanta Braves pitching staff with the team still searching for answers in the final spots of their rotation. It hasn’t helped that both Spencer Strider and Charlie Morton have gone through rough patches at the same time.

Morton clearly has shown his age at times during the season while Strider failing to elevate his fastball has resulted in hard contact and big innings for the opposing offense. Atlanta is still 32 games over .500 heading into Thursday’s action and has little reason to worry when it comes to playoff positioning. The concern among Braves fans is obviously if the team did enough come postseason time to consistently give their offense a chance.

With one of, if not the deepest lineups in the league this team is always in the game, but will need a bit more reliability from their staff come postseason time. Needing at least three reliable starters there is plenty of reason for concern but also to believe that come October this team will be the clear favorites having eased any concerns about the pitching staff.

Here are 3 reasons to not be concerned about the recent pitching struggles by the Atlanta Braves

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 05: Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves throws a pitch during the first inning of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 05, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images) /

1. Atlanta Braves are playing the long game with their depth

A big part of the reason the Braves are being so patient with their current rotation is the fact they know that help is on the way. Whether it is Mike Soroka finally getting back his confidence and being added back to the rotation or Kyle Wright getting healthy, there are a myriad of scenarios that can happen for this team in the final two months of the season.

With a double-digit division lead and having plenty of room to stumble, there isn’t a sense of urgency with this team fixing the end of the rotation. As we saw against the Pirates in game two of the series, the offense is more than capable of bailing out a bad pitching performance if you just keep it within striking distance.

The Braves can afford to be patient and rely on their depth to get healthy or one of their young starters to prove themselves ready for the next level. It is far better to deal with question marks in the final two spots of your rotation than rush your long-term answers and derail their process.

There is also the chance that Bryce Elder figures it out again and re-finds the early season form that helped this team get off to such a great start.

Aug 6, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton (50) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Come postseason time, Atlanta can count on Strider and Morton

Charlie Morton may not be the consistent regular-season pitcher he once was. However, this isn’t going to translate come postseason time. As Atlanta’s third starter, there are few teams with better depth or a more proven playoff performer than Morton.

Atlanta’s last World Series run serves as a great example of what Morton is capable of, even after not having his best season. Even if Morton continues to struggle or the Braves ease back his innings when it counts most, this team is going to be able to rely on their veteran.

Strider is in a completely different situation but has given plenty of reason to believe he can adjust. This is the second downswing that Strider has suffered this season and the pitcher made the needed adjustments and returned to dominance for a time before struggling again.

However, Strider’s stuff is far too great for the pitcher not to figure it out before the postseason. With an elite offense, Atlanta having a starting rotation of Max Fried, Spencer Strider, and Charlie Morton is more than enough for this roster to make a run.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 2: Michael Tonkin #51 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Truist Park on August 2, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

3. Atlanta’s bullpen will get healthier and help ease the rotation concerns

Atlanta’s bullpen has gone through its struggles as well as expected throughout the course of a long season. A large part of this is Atlanta adjusting to losing their closer yet again and re-assigning roles in the back end of the bullpen.

Add in a myriad of injuries and clearly, this team has needed more from their rotation based on the concerns. However, the bullpen got deeper at the trade deadline with two potentially impactful additions as well.

The Braves bullpen will get healthier by season’s end and be fresher from the time off and the consistent big leads the offense has given them. While there is still some cause for concern with this unit, everything is trending in the right direction setting the team up to be at full strength and take some pressure off the rotation come postseason time.

No question there is some reason for concern with the Atlanta rotation, but the Braves remain by far the deepest and most impressive team in the National League. Even with these concerns if healthy Atlanta remains the biggest threat in the league and should be clear World Series favorites.

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