Tim Hudson Braves

NL East Report: Time For Atlanta’s Pitching To Step Up

Dan Flaherty Uncategorized Atlanta Braves bullpen, Atlanta Braves pitching, NL East race, NL East schedule, Tim Hudson Braves, Tommy Hanson Braves

Every offensive juggernaut faces what the Atlanta Braves are right now—a point when your hitting stops carrying you and the pitching has to stand up and be counted. The Braves have one of the best offenses in the National League this season, but all at once, Michael Bourn has stopped getting on base, Fredi Freeman has stopped hitting for power and Jason Heyward has slowed. And in the first three games of four in Cincinnati, Atlanta scored just five runs combined and lost all three going into tonight’s finale. It’s nothing to panic over as far as the offense in general and these players in particular. But can the pitching keep the Braves upright over the long haul in a competitive division.

NL East Report: Atlanta Hopes Its Pitching Can Hold Up

Dan Flaherty Uncategorized Atlanta Braves offense, Atlanta Braves pitching, Atlanta Braves rotation, Brandon Beachy Braves, NL East race, Tim Hudson Braves

The Atlanta Braves have started the season well, with a 16-11 record coming into Saturday’s games, putting them in second place in the NL East and just 1.5 games back of Washington. The Braves have answered concerns about whether they had put last September’s collapse behind them, but as we evaluate their ability to keep this going for the year, we need to ask if the pitching is really good enough.

Atlanta is scoring runs—in fact they’re tied with St. Louis’ more heralded offense for most runs in the National League as of this morning. But the pitching is on the reverse end of the spectrum, at 12th in the NL. There’s no way any team competes over the long haul with that kind of pitching, so let’s move to the next level and see if there’s any possibility for the pitchers on hand to turn things around. Here’s the rundown on the Brave rotation…