Braves set franchise record with 19 strikeouts in win over Rockies

Since losing three straight in San Francisco, the Braves have outscored the Brewers and Rockies by a combined 29-12 while winning four of five games. It’s far too early to call this a potential turning point, but the team will at least be playing well entering an important home series against the Mets in the upcoming week.

“We’ll see (if this could be a turning point),” manager Brian Snitker said. “We’ve got a rough ride (the Mets) at the start of the week. But hopefully it does. These are the kinds of things that can get you going and get you feeling good about yourself.”

An optimist would note that there are 93 games left to play; that the Braves’ plus-21 run differential makes them one of two losing clubs that’ve outscored opponents, and therefore a positive regression could be coming.

A more pessimistic view – or perhaps realistic – would cite the Rockies being a historic atrocity (13-57). And that the National League is so deep the Braves would have to win at an absurd pace to catch up to the field.

Either way, it’s healthiest to look at the present. The Braves needed this. Strider really, really needed it.

Strider had been frustrated since his return, posting a 5.40 ERA across five outings. Perhaps this marks his own turning point. Strider obliterated the Rockies’ lineup, striking out 13 against just one walk across six scoreless innings.

It was his first double-digit strikeout performance since 2023. His fastball averaged 96.2 mph and peaked at 98.1.

“As much as I’d like to move past it, I had elbow surgery a year ago, so that’s going to be a relevant factor, whether I like it or not, for the foreseeable future,” Strider said. “I think acknowledging that reality is going to be more helpful for me in the long run than to stubbornly push past it. So just being honest and objective with how I’m moving and little things like how I’m holding command and mechanics inning-to-inning, and trying to solve those problems as they come up. That’s going to be big for me.”

Manager Brian Snitker: “I think Spence took a big step forward. He held his velocity longer than he has, the stuff was really good. I thought that was really good.”

Strider has sure enjoyed carving through the Rockies. In three outings against them, he’s allowed one run over 18 innings. He has a 34:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That includes his 16-strikeout performance against Colorado in September 2023, which set the Atlanta-era single-game record.

Overall, Strider just tied John Smoltz for the most 13-strikeout showings in franchise history with his fifth Saturday. He’s made 60 starts against Smoltz’s 466 (it should be noted Strider is pitching in a much different landscape than Smoltz did).

Outfielder Ronald Acuña continued his MVP-level play since returning. Acuña belted a two-run homer off Rockies starter Chase Dollander as part of his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.

Acuña has been arguably baseball’s best player in his 20 games, hitting .375 with a 1.178 OPS. He’s already homered seven times. He’s run smoothly and comfortably, looking nothing like a player who missed a year with a (second) torn ACL.

The 27-year-old might play in front of his home fans at next month’s All-Star game, after all.

“It would be incredible,” Acuña said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “It would be completely different than the other ones I’ve been to, being here at home. I really hope I get to participate in it and if I do, I’m going to enjoy it to the max.”

The Braves will start Grant Holmes (3-5, 4.07) in the series finale Sunday. They pushed back reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale, who will now be available to pitch sometime against the Mets. The Rockies with start lefty Austin Gomber, who’s making his season debut.