Chris Humphreys-USA Today Sports
The Atlanta Braves were riding high early in the 2013 season. They sported one of the most powerful offenses in the league and the best ERA, but we knew they had to come back to earth after a stunning 12-1 start. After a long road trip that included multiple losses in Pittsburgh and Detroit, how can the Braves get back on track?
The answer lies in their rotation.
Atlanta’s starting five will have to carry the load if the Braves want to stay at the top of the NL East. Their lineup, which has loads of potential, is full of young players and free swingers. Braves fans will just have to hope that hitting coach Greg Walker can get everyone on track, drawing walks and hitting with RISP.
We aren’t even sure when the lineup will be fully complete. Jason Heyward is still injured and Brian McCann should be on his way back soon.
It has been a struggle for Fredi Gonzalez to find a proper spot in the lineup for everyone. His tinkering with the order could be something we see throughout the season. This team is just going to have to deal with the hot and cold streaks of B.J. Upton, Dan Uggla and Andrelton Simmons.
If consistency is going to be hard to come by for the hitters, then it needs to come from the starting rotation.
Let’s take a look at the first 15 games of Atlanta’s season: while many focused on their offensive production (they scored six or more runs eight times during the streak, and never lost when they homered), pitching played a larger role in the hot start. They allowed four runs or less in 13 of the 15 games. The old saying “momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher” is very accurate in this case.
The real struggles began when the pitching went south. Atlanta’s ERA jumped nearly a full run, and the team dropped seven of nine. The weekend series against Detroit showed that the Braves cannot play catch-up very often.
The Braves lineup has the ability to seem like an American League team sometimes, but this does not mean they can go out and win slugfests every night. That is a recipe for disaster, especially come playoff time.
So someone tell Tim Hudson that he already won his 200th game. Get Kris Medlen to rediscover his Maddux-esque groove. Leave Mike Minor and Paul Maholm alone. Hope Julio Teheran works out his rookie jitters or get Brandon Beachy back soon. The Braves will need all of them to be on point.
The key to Atlanta’s long term success this year will be a consistent starting rotation. If they set the tone, the hitting and the victories will follow.
Morgan Carter is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MorgsCarter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
