On July 28, the struggling Atlanta Braves (44-60) look to Spencer Strider to end a 5-game skid against the Kansas City Royals. Can he save their season?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It feels like rock bottom. After a demoralizing sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers, the Atlanta Braves are staring into the abyss. A five-game losing streak has pushed them to a dismal 44-60 record, a staggering 12 games out of a wild-card spot. The offense is sputtering, the pitching is battered, and the team's postseason hopes are hanging by the thinnest of threads. Tonight, all eyes turn to one man to stop the bleeding: Spencer Strider.
With a 44-60 record, the Braves find themselves 12 games out of a wild-card spot as July comes to a close.
Tonight's series opener against the Kansas City Royals feels less like a regular season game and more like a referendum on the 2025 season. The Braves are desperate for a win, and they're pinning their hopes on Spencer Strider to deliver it. While his 4-8 record and 3.72 ERA don't scream 'stopper,' we know the kind of ace-level dominance he's capable of. After some recent inconsistency, the team needs that version of Strider now more than ever. He'll face veteran lefty Rich Hill and a Royals team hovering around .500. For the Braves to have a chance, bats like Matt Olson (18 HR, 65 RBI) and Austin Riley need to wake up after the offense managed just four hits in Sunday's 8-1 drubbing.
The pressure on Strider is amplified tenfold by the catastrophic state of the starting rotation. There is no safety net. With Chris Sale (fractured ribs), Reynaldo López (shoulder surgery), and AJ Smith-Shawver (season-ending elbow surgery) all on the injured list, the Braves are running on fumes. Sunday's starter, Bryce Elder, was shelled for eight runs, underscoring the severe lack of reliable options. Every fifth day, when Strider takes the mound, it feels like the team's only legitimate chance to win. This isn't just a slump; it's a full-blown crisis of pitching depth.
Fans hoping for a mid-season savior to emerge from the minor leagues will be disappointed. The injury crisis has exposed a critical weakness: the farm system's lack of MLB-ready pitching. While the front office continues to draft arms like Alex Lois and Connor Essenberg, these are long-term projects, not immediate solutions. The inability to fill major holes from within is a stark reminder that years of trading prospects for big-league talent have consequences. The big club is struggling, and for the first time in a long time, there are no reinforcements on the immediate horizon.
So, tonight is more than just a game. It's a test of resolve for a team that looks completely lost. Can Spencer Strider put the team on his back and deliver the kind of performance that rights the ship, even for a day? Or will the losing streak continue, pushing the Braves further toward an early and disappointing offseason? The road trip to Kansas City will tell us a lot about what's left of this 2025 team.
