3 things Braves must do to keep their June winning streak alive
By John Buhler
2. The starting rotation needs to put forth quality start after quality start
Admittedly, this was a concerning part of Monday night’s road opener at the Washington Nationals. While the Atlanta rotation has been excellent for the most part during this streak, Ian Anderson during his third time through the order has been an awful watch. Factor in Charlie Morton’s struggles in the first inning, and the Braves cannot really afford to get a terrible outing from one of their starters.
The good news is Max Fried and Kyle Wright are pitching at All-Star levels right now, not to mention how seamless of a transition it has been with Spencer Strider taking that Stache N Gas into the rotation as the No. 5 for now. However, Monday night was a slight cause for concern because of Anderson’s noted struggles the third time through, which put the bullpen in a tough spot.
In theory, by stringing together one quality start after another, it will keep the bullpen well-rested and not exposed to one bad inning that could knock the Braves out of a game. While this could be what happens over the next few days when the winning streak possibly comes to an end, hopefully, the offense stays hot long enough to overcome a terrible day or night from the rubber.
The combination of bats, bullpen, rotation and speed is great, but what about a defensive lapse?