ATLANTA — Spencer Strider stands barely 6 feet tall, but there’s fire in his right arm. And for seven innings Tuesday night, for the second time in a week, the Atlanta Braves rookie dialed up his low-effort, triple-digit fastball and overpowered the Phillies.
Chalk up a 13-1 pummeling by the reigning World Series champs on an otherwise satisfying day for the Phillies, who saw their five-game winning streak go kaput. They pulled off three trades in less than three hours to address short-term — and potentially one long-term — needs, and they did it without giving up top pitching prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, or Griff McGarry.
Say again: They did it without giving up top pitching prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, or Griff McGarry.
Why is that so important? Strider is why. Because all the best organizations grow starting pitching like Georgia farmers grow peaches. The Braves are the Braves because they develop young pitchers through the draft or via trades. From Tom Glavine through Max Fried and now Strider, it’s the Braves Way, and it has worked for decades.
So when the Phillies were asked about their big three pitching prospects — and interest was “tremendous,” according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski — they said, “No way.” They weren’t protective of all their prospects. Touted catcher Logan O’Hoppe went to the Angels for center fielder Brandon Marsh, and 6-foot-6 strikeout machine to the Cubs for David Robertson. But the big three were off limits.
“People called us to see if they could acquire them in huge trades to be part of other deals,” Dombrowski said. “It was off the charts. And I mean, really, unfortunately until today, I couldn’t get anybody off of those names. Those were the three names that just kept coming up. We just didn’t want to trade those guys.”
Surely the Braves received interest in Strider in previous years. The former fourth-round pick made his major league debut last year, forced his way into the starting rotation after Memorial Day, and has emerged as the Rookie of the Year favorite in the National League.
Strider held the Phillies to three hits in six innings last week in Philadelphia. He gave up three hits in 6 2/3 innings this time but piled up 13 strikeouts and 20 swings and misses.
Other than a first-inning double by Darick Hall that was lined off Braves first baseman Matt Olson’s glove and into right field, the Phillies barely hit a ball hard against Strider.
In 12 starts for the Braves, Strider has a 3.02 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings. And he’s part of a rotation that also includes homegrown Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson, plus Fried, the All-Star lefty who was acquired in a trade with San Diego and developed in Atlanta’s farm system.
It’s a recipe for success, one the Phillies hope to eventually copy with Painter, Abel, and McGarry.
Knebel roughed up
Corey Knebel gave up as many earned runs in the fifth inning (five) as he did in his last 22 appearances combined.
Knebel entered the game riding a 14 1/3-inning scoreless wave spanning 14 appearances. But he got tagged for an RBI double by Eddie Rosario, a run-scoring single by Marcell Ozuna, a game-breaking two-run homer by Orlando Arcia, and an RBI single by Dansby Swanson.
It was part of a rough night for the bullpen. With starter Kyle Gibson on bereavement leave, the Phillies started reliever Nick Nelson, who got through the Braves’ lineup once before getting into trouble in the third inning. Andrew Bellatti, Knebel, Mark Appel, and newly recalled Francisco Morales also allowed runs in the rout.
Hello, Sosa
Newly acquired infielder Edmundo Sosa made his Phillies debut in the seventh inning, entering the game at third base. In his first plate appearance, he got hit by a pitch.
The Phillies traded for Sosa from the St. Louis Cardinals last weekend to help improve their overall infield defense.
