Braves to Count on Starting Pitching Depth to Earn Playoff Spot

The Atlanta Braves will not start Chris Sale twice during the final week of the regular season.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves own the second-best team ERA in the MLB this season in part because of the extra rest their starters have received throughout the season. Even with a playoff spot on the line during the final week of the regular season, the Braves won't change their strategy.

The Braves announced their projected starters for the upcoming home series against the New York Mets on Sunday. Ace starter Chris Sale will pitch the middle game of the series Wednesday.

If Sale pitched Tuesday, he could take the mound again Sunday, the final day of the regular season. On paper, pitching the National League Cy Young front runner two more times makes the most sense for a team needing to make up two games in the standings.

The Braves could pitch Sale on Tuesday and Sunday with his regular rest.

Instead, Sale will receive extra rest, as he has often this season, before his Wednesday start. So, the Braves will need their starting pitch depth to shine the final week to earn a postseason berth.

It's possible that Sale could still pitch Sunday after starting Wednesday. But such a scenario would put Sale back on the mound after three-days rest, which is probably not best for the 35-year-old or the Braves.

More than likely, the Braves must get two quality starts from rookie of the year candidate Spencer Schwellenbach to make the playoffs. He will start the series opener versus the Mets on Tuesday, which puts him in line to start again on Sunday.

Max Fried will start the series finale against the Mets on Thursday.

It's somewhat understandable that the Braves would trust the pitching method they have used all season. Sale saw a decrease in velocity during his last start and has pitched more innings in 2024 than the past four seasons combined. He could probably use the extra rest.

On the other hand, the season is on the line. Sale can rest all he wants in November.

If the campaign comes down to Sunday, and Schwellenbach, who has pitched more innings during his first MLB season than he ever has, pitches poorly, Snitker will deserve to be second-guessed the entire offseason.

“Originally we thought about that," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of starting Sale on Tuesday, via The Athletic's David O'Brien. "But it’s like, Schwellenbach’s throwing the ball really good, and they’re both going to pitch. So, yeah, that’s just what we came up with.”

Yes, they're both going to pitch. But Schwellenbach will probably pitch twice.

The good news is with this strategy, Sale will be ready to pitch the first game of the NL wild card series. That's if the Braves get there. Snitker told reporters he's not even thinking about who will pitch this weekend, let alone in a playoff series.

“I mean, the only thing we’re focused on right now is Tuesday,” Snitker told reporters.

Although the Braves are two games behind the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks for the last two NL playoff spots, the path for Atlanta to make the postseason is simple.

Because they are playing the Mets this week, if the Braves win their next four games, they will earn a playoff spot. Should the Braves take two out of three versus the Mets, they can make the postseason with a sweep against the Kansas City Royals and one Mets loss the final weekend.

If the Braves lose two out of three against the Mets, very likely, the Braves will be eliminated.

The stakes are high, potentially very high for Schwellenbach.