Despite being in control for the first two months of the season, there has been underlying sense of vulnerability clouding the Atlanta Braves. One that has not really existed in a while.
Injuries to starting pitchers Max Fried and Kyle Wright have forced the organization to tinker with their roster a bit. The result has been a streaky team with already three losing streaks of three games or more this year. And now, the Braves just made another move hours before their Saturday home game versus the Philadelphia Phillies.
Atlanta is sending down southpaw Dylan Dodd and calling up fellow pitcher Dereck Rodriguez, per the team. Dodd had just been recalled to the MLB roster to pitch Thursday in the first of a four-game set against the divisional rival. Despite the Braves winning, he was shaky and allowed four runs and seven hits across five innings. Dodd is 2-1 with a 6.64 ERA in 2023.
Rodriguez does not come without his own risk. The right-hander started 2023 with the Minnesota Twins organization before being designated for assignment. He caught fire in the beginning of his career, posting a 2.81 ERA in just over 118 innings for the San Francisco Giants in 2018. That was a different time, though, as Rodriguez has struggled since.
There are no easy choices in regards to the pitching staff. Swapping one struggling arm for another is an unfortunate dilemma that many clubs face during a long season. Ideally, it is just a temporary problem Atlanta has to navigate.
Nevertheless, the Braves have the fifth best team ERA (3.70) in baseball and boast the best record in the National League (31-20). Just imagine if they get healthy.
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