{"id":647127,"date":"2026-03-27T19:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/647127\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T19:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:08:14","slug":"atlanta-braves-season-falling-apart-before-their-season-has-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/647127\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Braves season falling apart before their season has started"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Braves are about to open a season in the NL East with a rotation that looks like it got hit by a bus in March. That\u2019s not doom-posting \u2013 that\u2019s simple math. The latest punch is Spencer Strider starting the season on the injured list with a left oblique strain. He was scratched late in camp, and the team is hoping it\u2019s short-term, but obliques linger. Strider was 2 \u2013 0 with a 3.24 ERA this spring and punched out 11 in 8 1\/3 innings, which is exactly why this hurts \u2013 he was trending in the right direction. This is also the same guy who led MLB in strikeouts in 2023 with 281, won 20 games, and finished top-five in Cy Young voting. When that production is gone, you can\u2019t fake it until you make it.<\/p>\n

MORE: Predicting the winner of every MLB game on Friday, March 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Braves Injuries:<\/p>\n

\"AtlantaAtlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy and pitcher Spencer Strider during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

And Strider isn\u2019t the only problem. The Braves are also missing Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, both on the 60-day IL after arthroscopic elbow surgeries, with timelines that push them out until at least late June. Joey Wentz is out for the season with a torn ACL. Friends, that\u2019s not just one bad break \u2013 that\u2019s your depth chart getting cut off at the knees before the first pitch.<\/p>\n

So what do the Braves do now? They lean hard on Chris Sale as the Opening Day starter and hope the rest of the patchwork holds. The issue is that relying on Sale as the stabilizer is a gamble by itself \u2013 he\u2019s still elite when he\u2019s on the mound, but the Braves are already asking their most important arm to carry a heavier load because everyone else is hurt. And that doesn\u2019t generally end well for 36-year-old pitchers with a history of injuries themselves.<\/p>\n

And the NL East is the worst division to stumble out of the gate. Projections have the Mets, Braves, and Phillies basically packed together in the high-80s win range. That means the margin is thin \u2013 and the standings won\u2019t care that your rotation is in rehab.<\/p>\n

If the Braves don\u2019t figure this out (and fast), this becomes the kind of season where you\u2019re chasing from April, grinding from May, and praying Strider\u2019s (and everyone else\u2019s) return isn\u2019t followed by the next injury headline.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead <\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n

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