The injury-riddled Braves face the Angels on July 1, 2025. With Chris Sale out, can Ronald Acuña Jr.'s hot bat carry a team in a full-blown pitching crisis?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
When the Braves take the field against the Los Angeles Angels tonight, the man on the mound will be Darius Fuentes, carrying a staggering 10.80 ERA. It's not a planned audition; it's a desperate measure. For a team with championship aspirations, now sitting at 38-45, this start is a glaring symptom of a full-blown crisis on the mound that threatens to derail the entire 2025 season.
'We’re going to mix and match... we’re going to have to make it work, because it’s what we got.' - Brian Snitker
The Truist Park infirmary is overflowing with Atlanta's best arms. Last year's Cy Young winner Chris Sale is out with fractured ribs, Reynaldo López is recovering from shoulder surgery, and AJ Smith-Shawver's season is over due to elbow surgery. Even Spencer Strider, though expected back later this month, has been sidelined with a hamstring strain. This has left Spencer Schwellenbach as the lone starter performing at a league-average level, forcing the team into a constant state of bullpen games and emergency call-ups.
If there's a silver lining, it's the electrifying return of Ronald Acuña Jr. Since coming back in late May, he's been playing at an MVP level, providing a much-needed jolt. Catcher Sean Murphy has also been on a tear, blasting seven homers in his last 17 games. But for every hero, there's a frustrating slump. Key cogs like Matt Olson (.767 OPS), Ozzie Albies (.664), and Michael Harris II (.614) are performing well below their career standards. The Braves need their entire lineup firing on all cylinders, not just a few hot bats, to overcome their pitching deficiencies.
General Manager Alex Anthopoulos is known for his mid-season magic, but the current predicament is testing the limits of his roster construction. The farm system, long criticized for its lack of pitching depth, has no saviors ready to ride in. The immediate fix has been to shuffle the bullpen, bringing back franchise saves leader Craig Kimbrel, who has been solid. But as Manager Brian Snitker bluntly put it, the team has to make do with what it has. It's a 'mix and match' strategy born of necessity, placing immense pressure on every arm that takes the mound.
All of this drama sets the stage for tonight's 7:15 pm matchup at Truist Park. The Braves will send the struggling Darius Fuentes (0-2, 10.80 ERA) to face the Angels' Tyler Anderson (2-5, 4.41 ERA). On paper, it's a mismatch. But baseball isn't played on paper. This game is a microcosm of the Braves' season so far: can the powerful, yet inconsistent, offense score enough runs to protect a vulnerable pitching staff? A win tonight would be more than just another notch in the standings; it would be a vital sign of life.
As July begins, the path forward for the Braves is perilous. Every game feels like a tightrope walk. The health of Strider and Sale looms large, and the pressure is mounting on the front office ahead of the trade deadline. Can this team weather the storm until reinforcements arrive, or will the great pitching collapse of 2025 be the story of their season? Tonight's game against the Angels is the next chapter in that tense narrative.
