ATLANTA -- Spencer Schwellenbach found instant success despite totaling just 110 Minor League innings before jumping from Double-A to the Majors last year. But these past few weeks have been humbling for the Braves hurler, who was hit hard yet again in a 10-3 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night at Truist Park.
“Last year, everything fell into place really well,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s learning what this thing is all about and how to make adjustments and how to get through adversities. He’s just experiencing some rough sledding.”
Schwellenbach experienced his first big league Spring Training this year, and he’s just a month into what would be his first full season as a Major Leaguer. He’s experiencing a bunch of firsts, including the one presented to him Saturday, when he waited through a three-hour, six-minute rain delay before throwing the game’s first pitch at 10:21 p.m. ET.
Not long after, Schwellenbach walked off the mound with a disgusted look on his face. He allowed six runs and eight hits over a career-low 3 2/3 innings. This marked the third time he has surrendered a career-high six runs. Two of those three occasions have occurred within his past four starts.
“I think the biggest thing is I’m just not hitting spots like I’m used to,” Schwellenbach said. “If the pitch is supposed to be away, I’m throwing it right down the middle. Or if it’s a two-strike count and I’ve got to bury the slider, I’m hanging it.”
There’s a good chance this is just a rough stretch for a relatively inexperienced young pitcher. But the timing hasn’t been great for the Braves, who have lost three straight since pulling within one game of .500 by winning nine of 11. Chris Sale has turned things around in his past two starts, but Atlanta’s injury-depleted rotation is without both Spencer Strider (right hamstring strain) and Reynaldo López (right shoulder inflammation).
Schwellenbach appeared primed to continue stabilizing the rotation when he allowed just one run over his first three starts (20 innings) of this season. He exited his April 10 start against the Phillies with a 2.94 ERA through his first 24 career starts.
But the 24-year-old hurler has posted a 7.17 ERA in his past four starts. He has allowed at least six hits in each of these outings. This is something he did in just seven of 21 outings last year.
Hits can be fluky, like the infield single from Teoscar Hernández that Braves left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer fumbled before airmailing a throw to catcher Sean Murphy in the Dodgers’ four-run fourth. This allowed Freddie Freeman to score the last of the runs charged to Schwellenbach.
But there wasn’t anything fluky about the Dodgers’ production against Schwellenbach. Nine of the balls they put in play against the Braves hurler had an exit velocity of at least 99 mph. This just extended a recent trend.
Opponents have put at least seven balls in play at 99-plus mph in each of Schwellenbach’s past four starts. This occurred in just four of the hurler’s first 24 starts.
“The biggest thing is how you’re going to respond,” Schwellenbach said. “I feel like I come in here every day with a positive attitude and a smile on my face, ready to get back to work.”
Schwellenbach spent last year becoming one of nine pitchers since 1995 to post a 3.35 ERA or better over 20-plus starts during a debut season that was preceded by the pitcher totaling 110 innings or fewer in the Minors.
Paul Skenes (2024) and Alek Manoah (‘21) were the only other members of this list who hadn’t had previous international professional experience. But to understand Schwellenbach’s inexperience, it must be remembered he didn’t pitch at the college level until ‘21, when he served as the University of Nebraska’s shortstop and closer. The Braves drafted him that year knowing he would miss ‘22 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Schwellenbach introduced himself to a starting role in 2023, his first professional season, and made just two starts above the High-A level before making his MLB debut last year. So, all of this is still new to him, especially the recent struggles.
“When I look at a guy like that, with his makeup and composure and stuff, he'll figure it out,” Snitker said.