Strider (13 K's), Acuña (2-run HR) returning to form at key time for Braves

ATLANTA -- Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. had the Braves playing like it was 2023 again.

What has been missing for the Braves since tallying 104 wins just two years ago? Well, you can start with the fact that Strider made just one healthy start in 2024 and Acuña missed last season’s final four months after undergoing major knee surgery for the second time in four years.

So, it was significant for Braves fans to see these two superstars simultaneously at their best for the first time in nearly two years. Strider’s first dominant start since 2023 combined with Acuña’s latest majestic home run led Atlanta to a 4-1 win over the Rockies on Saturday afternoon at Truist Park.

“You like seeing them healthy and on the field, because those guys are what this game is all about,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “They love to compete and they love to play baseball. They dedicated themselves and worked so hard to get back here that it makes me feel even better. All the hard work that they put in last year has paid off for them.”

Winning a third straight game for the first time since May 6 was seemingly secondary to seeing Strider show he might be nearing the end of the frustrating portion of recovering from major right elbow surgery. The 26-year-old hurler highlighted his six scoreless innings by accounting for 13 of the franchise-best (in a nine-inning game) 19 strikeouts the Braves tallied.

Strider finished three strikeouts shy of the career-best total he produced against the Rockies on Sept. 1, 2022. He has now notched a double-digit-strikeout total in 18 of 60 career starts, but this was his first since Sept. 19, 2023. And he has already matched John Smoltz for the most 13-plus-strikeout games (five) by a Brave within the Modern Era.

This was the Strider Braves fans have come to expect to see. That’s why there was some uneasiness when he recorded a rather pedestrian 22.4 percent strikeout rate through his first five starts.

“It’s amazing to watch him do what we’re accustomed to seeing him do,” Acuña said.

Even with four wins in their past five games, the Braves remain seven games below .500 (31-38) and they own a better record than just four National League teams. But the remainder of this season could prove quite different if Strider is truly back and if Acuña continues to show the power he displayed on the way to winning the 2023 NL MVP Award.

Acuña helped the Braves gain a 3-0 lead with the eyebrow-raising two-run homer he hit in the second. The right fielder went above the zone to drill Chase Dollander’s 97.8 mph pitch into the left-field seats. He has hit .387 with seven homers and a 1.178 OPS in the 20 games he has played since returning from the torn left ACL he suffered on May 26, 2024.

It’s safe to say this return has been much more impressive than the one he experienced after missing the second half of the 2021 season with torn right ACL.

“The focus and the positivity that I saw from him, through this process, gave me a lot of confidence that he would be exactly where he is right now,” Strider said. “I’m certainly beyond grateful to have him out there.”

Strider’s return has been far less smooth. Five days after making his April 16 season debut in Toronto, he went back on the injured list for another month with a strained right hamstring. So, he’s essentially five starts into his second restart, or second Spring Training.

As Strider posted a 5.85 ERA over the four starts he made after returning from his second IL stint, his four-seam fastball averaged 95 mph, down from the 97.2 mph average he produced while setting a franchise record with a MLB-best 281 strikeouts in 2023.

Strider’s four-seamer averaged 96.2 mph over the entirety of Saturday’s outing and 96.7 mph through the first five innings. His fastball hadn’t averaged higher than 95.5 mph through the first five innings of any of his previous five starts this year.

“I think Spence took a huge step forward,” Snitker said. “He held his velocity longer than he has and his stuff was really good.”

The increased velocity was certainly noticed by the Rockies, who whiffed with 17 of 23 swings against the slider.

"Past few starts, he's been topping at 94, 95, then he was sitting at 98,” Rockies first baseman Kyle Farmer said. “Before the game, we knew that he was probably 46 percent first-pitch strikes. And tonight he was probably 90 percent first-pitch strikes. So, you know, kudos to making a good adjustment and a slider. You know, it's hard to hit when you throw 98, we've got to cheat. Then he drops that slider in."

Sounds a lot like many of the opponents Strider faced in 2023.