Braves Turning to Another Pending Free Agent in Pivotal Start

The Atlanta Braves announced late Saturday night who will start the series finale against the Kansas City Royals.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The plethora of starting pitching depth for the Atlanta Braves has been on full display the final week of the regular season. With an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot for the seventh consecutive year, the Braves will count on that depth again Sunday.

Multiple Braves reporters tweeted late Saturday night that Charlie Morton will start in what was originally scheduled to be the season finale against the Kansas City Royals.

Charlie Morton will start Sunday for the #Braves. If Monday's doublheader doesn't have to be played, they'd have Sale and Schwellenbach to begin the wild-card series assuming they get in.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 29, 2024

At this point, Morton might be the Braves No. 5 starter. Chris Sale should win the National League Cy Young award. Max Fried and Reynaldo López each made the All-Star team this season.

Neither have had great second halves to the season, but on Friday, Fried pitched like he was the Braves ace. Then Saturday, López was outstanding in his first start in nearly three weeks.

Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach has been outstanding too.

Morton is 8-9 with a 4.08 ERA, 1.317 WHIP and 164 strikeouts in 161 innings. While those aren't bad numbers, he's under .500 for the first time since 2014.

But one can throw those numbers out the window for Sunday.

Morton is a big game pitcher. He's posted a 7-5 record with a 3.60 ERA in 18 postseason starts.

In 2021, Morton started four games during the Braves' postseason run, registering a 3.24 ERA and .183 batting average against. He was cruising in Game 1 of the World Series before exiting with an injury.

A line drive fractured Morton's right fibula. He pitched another inning before exiting.

For the Houston Astros, Morton pitched the final four innings of Game 7 in the 2017 World Series. He earned the victory while giving up just one run.

The Braves will send that bulldog mentality to the mound Sunday in what might as well be a postseason game. If the Braves win, they will punch their ticket to the dance. If they lose, the will live to play Monday but with higher stakes.

Sale and Schwellenbach could have also started Sunday, but if the Braves win with Morton, the team can save the Cy Young front runner and rookie star for the postseason.

It's another shrewd move from manager Brian Snitker only possible because of the depth of Atlanta's pitching staff (and a lot of rain).

Like Fried, Morton could be making his final start with the Braves. Morton is in the final year of his contract, and he turns 41 in November.

If the outing is anything like Fried's was Friday, the Braves will be celebrating one of their most improbable playoff berths of recent memory Sunday night.