Braves ace Spencer Strider will go for an MRI on his right elbow on Saturday after complaining of discomfort on Friday night (per Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The All-Star right-hander threw just four innings and 88 pitches in his second start of the season, giving up five earned runs while striking out four. As Mark Bowman of MLB.com noted, his 12 whiffs were tied for the “sixth-lowest total he has induced while throwing at least 80 pitches” in his MLB career. For comparison, Strider produced 18 whiffs and eight strikeouts on 90 pitches in his season debut. To make matters worse, his velocity was down on all four of his pitches. Although Strider didn’t mention his discomfort until he exited the game (per David O’Brien of The Athletic), something was clearly off throughout his start.
Despite his unimposing stature, Strider is one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in baseball. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.2 mph and topped out at 100.5 mph in 2023. He pairs his blistering fastball with a terrific slider, a changeup (against left-handed batters), and as of this year, a curveball. For a flame-throwing hurler toying with a new breaking pitch, the words “elbow discomfort” are especially worrisome. Not to mention, Strider has already suffered a torn UCL, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019 during his time at Clemson University.
Strider burst onto the scene in 2022 and established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game the following year. He led the National League in wins, strikeouts, and FIP, en route to All-MLB First Team honors. He entered the 2024 campaign as the undisputed ace of a strong Braves rotation and a popular preseason pick to win the NL Cy Young. A serious elbow injury would be devastating for both Strider and his club.
Even if the MRI comes back clean, Bowman suggests Atlanta will exercise caution with Strider over the next two weeks. He could take a 15-day trip to the IL while his elbow regains strength. After all, there is little harm in playing it safe.
The Braves remain the favorites in the NL East even if Strider misses significant time. Still, any injury to their No. 1 starter would be a huge blow, particularly if Strider is unavailable to pitch in the playoffs. The team provided little reason for optimism or pessimism after the game, so fans will have to wait until Saturday to learn more about the extent of Strider’s potential injury.
Damn..
Ouch. Go dodgers
Bad taste sir. Then again, look at the team you follow…
Los karens
Los rockers
Bad taste in racist handle. Then again? You’re a Braves fan…
Takes some work to be the more racist Braves fan when “Rocker49” is also around, but they did it
He just has his panties in a bunch because their Ace got injured. Luckily we have like 5 of them with 3 more coming back from injury
People who obsess over “racism” like you and the guy below you are beyond pathetic.
Good luck on having any of your weak and fragile pitchers go over 100 innings this year. But maybe Kershaw can come back in September and blow some more playoff games for you.
The dodgers pitchers have been getting rocked.
The people obsessed with racism are the ones who choose intentionally racist handles, pal
Sounds to me like you are the on with the problem towards Native Americans. The name is only a previous mascot of the Indians. I doubt you are even Native American but think you need to decide for them what is racist and not racist. Being fake triggered has long lost its welcome.
An obviously racist former mascot of the Atlanta team, actually. Want to guess why it is a “former mascot”? American Indians have been extremely vocal for decades about the racism that is team names and mascots. I’ll provide you with plenty of links if you are curious (I doubt you are!). And John Rocker is a proud bigot. Has been publicly so for 25+ years. Endorsing him in 2024 is telling.
This is what your ilk cannot comprehend: objecting to and filling out racism does not automatically mean one is woke or triggered. It just means they don’t like racism.
After his second TJ, you’ve likely seen the last dominant season of Strider. Hope you enjoyed!
No, racists and racist sympathizers are pathetic. Which one are you?
I’m sympathetic.
@Eighty Raw
Absolute garbage. The Braves are endorsed by the local Cherokee tribe. Go tell your lies & stories somewhere else.
mlb.com/braves/community/native-american-community…
@PittPirate22
And first you’d need to comprehend what racism is before using the word and throwing it around. English comprehension is very poor these days, you’re a good example.
Neat! One tribe was willing to run PR coverage.
And in opposition…
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Just the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization.
So what’s the garbage? Where’s the lie?
Chief Noc-a-homa isnt racist? Please, I would love to hear that defense. John Rocker isnt a bigot? He blatantly is, but again argue away. Are you gonna tell me that the tomahawk chop is done to honor American Indians?
“The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has been exploring a potential partnership with the Atlanta Braves for several months following discussions about the cultural sensitivity of the Braves’ Tomahawk Chop. As a people proud of our own identity, we do not support cultural appropriation or any disrespectful representation of Native nations. We believe that candid, thoughtful conversations are crucial to educating leaders and bringing about positive change. As such, we have committed to working with the Atlanta Braves as they explore opportunities to represent Native Nations more appropriately. I applaud the Braves’ willingness to engage in this effort and look forward to continuing to build the relationship the EBCI shares with them to present a model for how other professional sports teams can work with Native Nations in a respectful and constructive manner.”
A ringing endorsement!
Again, my offer stands: if anyone wants to learn I’ll share resources. You dont seem like the learning type though
@EightyRaw
Get your woke demonstration hat out, and your woke demonstration t-shirt, and go and protest at Truist if you’ve got time that is, in lieu of watching your favourite usual stations of CNN, MSNBC, et al..
They are called the Atlanta Braves, you are determined to be offended.
Go buy a jack hammer and work away at the boulders that reside on both your shoulders, I have heard that such boulders can wear you down over a longer period of time.
“Chairman Nealie McCormick said in a statement that the Council has an ongoing relationship with the Braves and does not take issue with the team’s name. “The Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns maintains a collaborative relationship with the Atlanta Braves. Historically, this relationship has been built on trust and respect for the Native American community. Presently, our council is committed to continuing our partnership with the Atlanta Braves to highlight and address the real and most pressing concerns facing the Native American Community, such as the preservation of cultural heritage, education and economic opportunity. We support the Braves organization, take no issue with the team’s name and are excited to participate in their Native American Working Group. This partnership demonstrates the benefits to all parties of fostering close community relationships between the Braves organization and the Native American community.”
Regarding the use of the tomahawk chop, McCormick added that “the Council has has been focusing on preservation of cultural heritage, education and economic opportunity. No one on the council has expressed a concern over the chop.”
You’re entitled to your determined to be offended opinion. You’re not the official arbiter of what is ‘racist’, as first you’d have to have a comprehension of the usage of the word.
Just as I thought: not interested in learning.
But hey, since I feel sorry for you, here is a link anyway. You didnt even have to ask! I’m just generous like that
archive.ncai.org/news/articles/2021/10/27/ncai-rei…
You’re not going to believe this! This was in the very same AJC article you took quotes from:
“The Cherokee Nation supports the removal of Native mascots from team sports. Stereotypical uses of American Indian names and images as representations in major sports teams in the United States is wrong. While some team names may not appear derogatory or offensive as others, the usage and imagery misrepresents the culture of our people. When teams use Native mascots, there is also no way to control the cultural appropriateness on team jerseys, imagery promoted or local fan bases.
“All across the United States, fans embrace stereotypes of American Indians — war bonnets, face paint, crying war chants and making tomahawk-chopping gestures — and mock our culture as though we are vestiges of the past. This does not honor Cherokee traditions, nor do they honor our fellow Native brothers and sisters.”
Just to sum up
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians: 16k members; is ok with running PR for the Atlanta baseball team
Cherokee Nation: 0.5 million members (that’s 30x larger!); vehemently opposes the name of the Atlanta baseball team and the chop.
The four other tribes comprising the Five Tribes of Oklahoma (which includes Seminole Nation of Oklahoma): another 0.5 million people; vehemently opposes Native team names and mascots
NCAI: vehemently opposes the name of the Atlanta baseball team and the chop
I am not saying the name is racist; American Indians are saying the name is racist. Why does the ECBI’s stance outweigh the voices of all these other American Indian tribes?
Claiming English comprehension is poor and then beginning a sentence with “And.”
Lol
I don’t employ words I neither know nor understand, but thanks anyway. If you need help with the definition “loser” or “moron” merely look in the mirror. It’s clear books aren’t your thing.
Racists going to racist. Typical Braves fan.
If you cared as much about not being a racist as you do as not being called one, you’d achieve some real personal growth.
Schooled him.
Arguing and providing facts to people like Fred McGriff HR is like giving medicine to a corpse. They would rather wallow in ignorance than actually be correct.
@Pittpirate22
You’re using “lol”, so you’re probably about 50+ but you have the brain of a 5 year old at best.
There is nothing wrong with starting sentences with “and,” “but,” or other similar conjunctions. You may, however, encounter people who mistakenly believe that starting a sentence with a conjunction is an error, so consider your audience when deciding to structure your sentences this way.
I encountered a dope.
@Eighty Raw
Go and cry about it.
@PittPirate22
You just got “schooled”. Oh, the irony of your comment, and your complete ignorance.
You are in the lead for MLBTR dumbest comment of the year so far, and I don’t like your chances of being caught, although you have a few doltish peers commenting about ‘racism’.
The most racist thing on here is that you think Cherokee Indians are the only Native Americans out there. They are only 10% of all Native Americans. You’re say you’re trying to educate but are using a small portion of a group that is only 10% of the whole minority group. I don’t think they need liberal white people who took one college class to be wipe out their whole history and remove them from society because you were taught you should have white guilt about everything. The original poster is not racist because he remembers a mascot from the past. Saying he is while knowing nothing about him is way more dangerous than about anything right now. You are attempting to stick a label on him that never goes away over something as silly as a past team mascot.
“The most racist thing on here is that you think Cherokee Indians are the only Native Americans out there.”
Clearly false, as I have twice mentioned NCAI and also provided the stance of the other four major tribes of Oklahoma. On the other hand, the fan of the Atlanta team has ONLY mentioned a small tribe of Cherokees in his defense of the team name. How many groups/nations/tribes do you want to provide you? I can give you more. What percentage do you need to accept that a significant amount of American Indians find the name offensive?
“The original poster is not racist because he remembers a mascot from the past.”
No, he’s racist for celebrating that racist mascot though.
“Go and cry about it.”
Some wild projecting here. I am simply trying to educate. And instead of taking just one step back and listening to some American Indians you do this. Go figure you choose ignorance.
Wow, I am embarrassed. I said I had twice mentioned NCAI when I really meant to say I had twice mentioned NCAI while also linking to their website.
The sad part is the American Indian who played the mascot died this last December but you calling an actual Native American Indian racist after his death is really low. The only ones ignorant here are the people like you who try to ruin people’s lives by calling people racist for the smallest things in life. Nobody need you to help them grow as a person. Your just not that important.
Did I call the actor racist? Nope! But I hope the paycheck was worth it for him.
How am I trying to ruin someone’s life? And more importantly why are you, a Mets fan, so strongly defending a name and mascot that American Indians find racist?
“The only ones ignorant here are the people like you who try to ruin people’s lives by calling people racist for the smallest things in life”
You have accused me directly of “having a problem with Native Americans” and saying “the most racist thing on here”. Are you trying to ruin my life??
What does me being a Mets fan got to do with you being ignorant and labeling someone as a racist that did nothing more then use an old mascots name. You know very well being labeled a racist can ruin someone’s life but you throw the word around without care or thought. The actor who portrayed the mascot recently died. Someone is honoring that and you call him a racist. Why do you care? You are not Native American or a Braves fan but you are allowed to talk but no one else. You are ignorant.
How does it feel? The poster did nothing to you but you labeled him a racist for nothing. The tables can always be turned when making serious accusations.
Honestly, it feels like one of the dumbest people I have ever encountered said something too dumb fathom. It will have no impact on my life the second I hit that “post comment” button below
My dog leaves piles in the yard that have greater intelligence than you, Fred McRacist.
Go attend a clan rally and vote for the orange guy. You know you will.
You present as one who has encountered copious amounts of dope in utero. This, of course, would explain much of your educational and social challenges. Racism is never right, but at least your ilk have a plausible explanation for mental defects.
The correct usage is to spell out “five” rather than use a numeral. Most of us learned that in fifth grade.
Wow there it is. Your hatred for half the population and the south came to the forefront. Don’t lecture anyone about Racism when you are the only one with hatred in your heart in this conversation.
@PittPirate22
Deflect a bit much there? What was that about “and”? Quick, change the subject to something else because you’re quite the child unable to admit you’re wrong, and you know nothing about English grammar. You just got schooled, run along.
I hate racists and racism. I am born and raised in the south, you duplicitous dolt. Are you suggesting half the south are racists? You couldn’t lecture a dog turd. Go back to your room in momma’s basement.
@PittPirate22
You didn’t get past 5th grade.
@PittPirate22
Of course, trying to insult someone by asserting they are a “clan” member. I am laughing at your ridiculous insults, and that’s all they deserve, ridicule.
You’re on a baseball commenting thread believing that you and Eighty Raw are some sort of moral arbiters of who you can both tag as being racist, and that you’re both ‘authorities’ on the Atlanta Braves and native Indians. Your asinine ridiculous conceited smug assertions are preposterous and imbecilic.
It’s funny you call everyone a racist but remark about someone’s skin tone to make fun of him. You are trash and now you are making up clan rallies. No one here was racist but you and your fake friend. All the poster did was honor a man who recently passed and you turned into something it was not because you are a horrible human being.
No, just correcting your ignorance. Go drag your knuckles at a clan rally with your people.
“Fifth grade” is the correct usage. You are too ignorant to write, much less keep up with me and attempt insults.
I made it through graduate school, but believe what you wish. I don’t waste time caring what a racist thinks of me or my academic achievements.
I don’t call everyone a racist. Most people are not. I call racists racists. Take off your white hood and look in the mirror.
@PittPirate22
You are no “academic”. Here you are making delusional accusations and incendiary remarks which are completely unfounded on a baseball commenting board , and you ‘think’ in your small brain that you’re an “academic”, and you’re also sprouting about your “achievements”. It’s absolutely hilarious to encounter smug accusatory conceited people like you that are patently uneducated, and who throw the racist tag around, but that aptly reflects your lack of education.
You’re far from ‘educated’, in fact, I doubt you could get through a baccalaureate. I doubt you know what that is.
Try your unfounded incendiary remarks with someone else, imbecile.
You are such a horrible human being. Why are you going after his family? Get a life and grow up.
Don’t you have a clan rally to attend today?
Wow you literally can’t think of anything else. Keep being a low class horrible human being.
@PittPirate
So you forged your way through school and you’re allegedly a graduate, so you assert. I’d say you’re a fraud based on the comments you have posted, which is also backed up by your behaviour on a baseball commenting board.
Here you are throwing incendiary remarks out there, calling people ‘racists’ without one fact to support your claims, calling baseball teams -Atlanta Braves and their organisation and ALL their fans ‘racists’, attempting to assert that you speak for others on the matters of racism, feigning offence on behalf of others, calling people “knuckle dragging racist dolts”, asserting others are “obese and full of hate”, talking about other people’s families/children.
You’re clearly in need of psychological evaluation, and again, I doubt you’re a graduate of anything, and I couldn’t care less about your “academic achievements’, but you sought the need to big note yourself on a baseball commenting board by asserting your fable twice.
You’re a smug conceited arrogant egotistical narcissistic imbecile who is incapable of discourse, and you throw the ‘racist’ tag/card on others for this very reason, and here you are talking about being a ‘man child’. You’re the perfect example of immaturity, along with your other moronic friend Eighty Raw. You’re no graduate, maybe you’re a ‘graduate’ of childish behaviour and immaturity, you’d have a ‘major’ in that.
Spencer TJ Strider.
Blue BJ Baron
Thanks for remembering my dear friend Barry Jacobson.
Ummmm… yeahhhhhhh
Absolutely. BJ’s a great guy with a phenomenal bass singing voice. He could drink a lot of people under the table when he was young.
Not me. I’m the Babe Ruth of drinking.
@tpaine69: BJ is 75 years old, so I’m sure you are correct.
Good to see Team Buttstuff had chimed in!
Blue ‘can’t wait for the actual medical information but sprew general poop’ Baron
Braves ‘I’m so full of crap my eyes are brown’ 83.
Another one bites the dust. And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust…
Or in the immortal words of Weird Al Yankovic, another one rides the bus.
Al also lived in Fallbrook (makes sense later in the comments…), next to Dave Mustaine.
that’s fitting, because i expect strider’s MRI to reveal a symphony of destruction
May he Rust In Peace if that’s the case. Possible Foreclosure of a Dream? Strider’s probably thinking “This Was My Life”…
As someone who hopes he isn’t injured, I’m Sweating Bullets.
He defo didn’t look right tonight… I sure hope he’s OK. Braves fans must have a collective lump in their throats right now. Would they trade Fried if the wheels fall off?
If he was OK, he wouldn’t have pain in his elbow.
I understand your semantics, BB. By OK I mean “surgery avoiding”
OK
It was super cold.
They said mid-50s with 10-15mph winds in the telecast… may have been a factor but I wouldn’t say “super cold” especially compared to the previous Chicago visit.
if there’s any organization that has a ton of pitching depth, it’s the Braves
AJSS time? Or Elder strolls to ATL?
Here comes Hurston Waldrep to the rescue!
No they don’t.
Yes, they do, Mr. Met.
Elder, Smith-Shawver, and Waldrep are solid depth options.
Really then why did they bring in a back end starter to replace them?
Mets,
I’m guessing you’re referring to Reynaldo Lopez. He adds to that pitching depth you say they don’t have.
Are there many/any other teams that have more pitching depth?
You are literally saying your pitching depth is a minor leaguer who has thrown a total of 8 professional games and another who hasn’t gone over 80 innings in a professional season yet. Both players are talented but not depth for this year other than a spot start or two. The Braves clearly don’t like something in Elder and gave up on him quickly. The Braves are loaded on offense but losing Strider would be a punch to the throat for their World Series aspirations.
AA loves showing at Valu-Mart more than your mom. They like Reynaldo Lopez’s stuff and despite other inferior teams (WSH, CHW) not knowing how to develop their pitchers, they think they can tap into that and get extended/quality IP more so than if he served as a long RP/setup RP, not unlike Jordan Hicks/SF that got more money. If they were at least somewhat successful with that, he’d be worth a lot more than $33M on the free agent market. And they’re doing something similar with Sale. High-end IP for a moderate price at the cost of risk. They believe in their process, but it obviously isn’t undefeated (see: Fried/Strider, eventually). Cue “can’t have enough pitching”.
It’s not *my* pitching depth. I’m not a Braves fan.
Every team would take a big hit losing a pitcher like Strider, though most teams don’t have a pitcher that good. He’s impossible to replace, but Atlanta doesn’t have to go sign Cueto or make a desperation trade today because they have some options they can try. If those don’t work out, then they can explore external options. Meanwhile, the offense will allow them to be patient.
The Braves are one of the best organizations in baseball, but no team is perfect. And no team ever has *enough* pitching depth.
@Mets69 — Go back and check who their ’21 WS starting pitchers were and see if you feel like their aspirations took a punch to the throat.
G1: Morton
G2: Fried
G3: Ian Anderson
G4: Dylan Lee (opener) /Kyle Wright
G5: Tucker Davidson (rookie) – in for injured Morton
G6: Fried
You do realize that World Series was a fluke. I don’t think the Braves want to plan for random flukes. They want to be favorites.
LOL! Hate to break it to ya, but the postseason is a random fluke. Last 2 seasons have been MUCH better teams in ATL and ended much earlier. Point is, AA has the talent, foresight, experience & talent to be able to patch holes better than most. IMHO, their pitching depth is a lot deeper this year than ’21, but it still may not be enough.
IF (big IF) ATL’s offense is working half as much as it should, you can have a piecemeal a start together with 1-2 decent arms, especially with that bullpen. Don’t forget Ian Anderson is due back (ETA: June).
Mets, I guess 1969 and ’86 or flukes, too.
Huh? They won 100 and 108 games in those seasons. That was a dud of comeback as there ever was.
Here we go again with blowing smoke up your GM’s butt. What’s special about the Braves bullpen?They had one player with an era of around 3.5 last year and that’s the best they got. I think the Braves went from 1-2 in baseball to around 10 with this huge loss. I’m routing for the Braves to beat the Dodgers but this hurts.
Blowin’ smoke…? They were 11th in RP ERA last year missing some top arms. They’re getting the most out of Jimenez/Pierce Johnson who has been sensational from coming down from high altitude, getting Matzek/Dylan Lee and adding a high K-rate arm in Bummer, plus adding depth at AAA (Kerr, Ken Giles). AAA rotation includes: Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder, Dylan Dodd, Huscar Ynoa, #1 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver, Darius Vines, etc.). While I don’t totally believe these silly rankings, MLB.com’s pre-season ranking of ATL had them as #2 in MLB strongest bullpens behind PHI for their depth.
@GBs42
And don’t forget Ynoa, Vines, Dodd, Winans. All are more than reasonable.
@Gwinning the wheels ain’t falling off even if Strider is done for the season. Coming into last year Fried and Wright were #1 and #3 in the rotation and both missed most of the year. They went on to win the division by 14 games using 16 different starting pitchers. With their offense they don’t need Elder, AJSS, Waldrep, Ynoa, Vines or whomever gets starts to be a #1 to make the playoffs. If Strider is done they will be in it at the break and will acquire a starter at the deadline to help in the playoffs.
Fair enough Chipper, I’m just playing the ol’ hypothetical card. I’m not speaking for anyone but myself, but if the 1% chance that the wheels do fall off then I (personally) would probably entertain a Fried trade at the TDL. You’d get a bevy for a healthy Max. Anyhow, good luck and we all hope Spence is “ok” for the short and long-term. Very similar to the rental of Ohtani last year; I would have shipped him for a slew of guys that could help my squad going forward. And who knows, maybe you take a bigger swing at resigning the shipped player afterwards!
A collective “uh oh” from every fantasy manager and Braves fan alike
That’s makes it a double whammy on my end.
Reason no. 780 not to spend big money on pitching in the draft or auction.
He was my first rounder (along with everyone else obviously), but got him at 12 and followed up with Trea so I kinda had two 1st rounders in that league. I also got Gausman as a second ace, so worst case scenario I’m sorta covered? But not ideal in fantasy or real life.
Best of luck, SS…. see you in 2026
Believe it or not, the human body is not built to rifle off an unlimited amount of 100 mph fastballs. It is difficult to criticize someone as talented as Spencer for pitching the way he has, you can’t really “blame” his coaches and organizations either. It’s just a crappy reality. I hope that we are able to make advancements in therapeutic and preventative medicine to follow the progression of the science and statistics behind maximizing pitch effectiveness.
Bingo. Far and away the most rational post I saw today, congrats on hitting a game-winning homer SODO.
I hold little hope for change. The elbow can only take so much. That won’t stop pitchers and teams from pushing it to the max.
Excellent piece written here. As a coach of more than 16 years this is spot on. Throwing a baseball, especially pitching is not a natural motion for the human bodies arm. It was never meant to move that way. It’s a choice all baseball players make. Believe it or not throwing a softball pitching is the actual natural motion, underhand. There is less stress put on all aspects of the arm. Those girls throw CG’s all day and then pitch a day later. I’m not say baseball needs to change but don’t be an idiot to see why these injuries occur in pitchers. It has nothing to do with big money contracts signed or cold weather or wind lol. Strider is a competitor and a really good pitcher. Throwing a baseball is flawed period. Stop blaming guys for getting hurt. It’s part of the game unfortunately. Also, let’s be clear I’m not a Braves fan.
I remember meeting ex-pitchers, pro and amateur and when they extended their arms with their palms of their hands facing up, one of them would be shorter and pointing upward. That’s the result of an unnatural usage of one of their limbs. So you’re right on the point (remember Dave LaPoint?)
@Quinnap89
Incredibly wrong. Humans are unique in that we have the ability to throw overhand, powerfully and accurately. Throwing overhand is innate thanks to an evolutionary adaptation that occurred over a million years ago. Proto humans didnt throw spears underhand.
@Eighty Raw Neither did hunters throw spears and shoot arrows at max effort 100 times within a 2.5 hour timespan.
What does that have to do with what I said? I replied to someone saying that human arms arent made to throw overhand. An empirically false claim. Just hand a ball to a baby and see what happens.
Hunters with terrible aim probably did…
You know exactly what @Quinnap89 is referring to but go ahead and be pedantic.
“[the arm] was never meant to move that way”
I am supposed to know that this means something other than what it says?
“Throwing a baseball, especially pitching is not a natural motion for the human bodies arm”
And this? Because overhand throwing is empirically a basic human, phylogenetic motion.
“Believe it or not throwing a softball pitching is the actual natural motion, underhand”
I’m gonna choose “not”. Call me a pedant all you want
Incredibly wrong? lol ask a doctor. Just because they threw a spear the way they did doesn’t mean they couldn’t have gotten hurt. I know many doctors who have performed this surgery. Do some research. Throwing overhand and at the force that baseball players do is not a natural motion. Come on man
I just said earlier in the week to a friend after the Eury news that all these pitchers that average 95+ velocity and simultaneously are trying to max out spin rates are basically guaranteed for TJS or shoulder issues, and it’s only a matter of time for Strider. And damn, here we are, could be an unfortunate reality. But really, there shouldn’t be any surprise at this point.
He’s already had TJ once.
Honey where is my rosary??
We all know where this is going…
Time and time again, day after day, more and more pitchers go down with injuries. When is mlb going to do something about this? when all the pitchers are on the DL? c’mon already its getting ridiculous!!!
I have that feeling too at times, ready to scream it out on the tip of my tougne. I just don’t know if there’s anything that can be done, that isn’t detrimental to the competitive nature of the game.
@Johnny utah: Fair enough. Any ideas or suggestions?
Great question BB. What say you Johnny? People that complain without offering solutions are just wasting everybody’s time, all due respect.
stop encouraging little leaguers to throw 100+. by the time they’re 20 they require TJ. stop resting pitchers then building them back up then sitting them down again. pitchers need rhythm. they need routine. athletes cant play at 100% then stop then start again. and eliminate this ridiculous pitch clock. games are 10 minutes shorter, but you got over 130 pitchers on the DL before opening day even begins. get better trainers and doctors. get better coaches. change the way pitchers are developed. change the kind of pitches they are encouraged to throw. my goodness before the 70s NOBODY was going down with TJ injuries. now its as common as a bowl of cereal. but #1 – get rid of manfred. he is a disease. he has ruined baseball. i love the sport and i hate what its turned into. in consecutive days the majors may have lost the 2 most talented young pitchers to TJ. this aint no coincidence. huge changes need to happen.
TJ wasn’t invented yet, realistically. I bet Koufax wished it had though. The trainers and doctors available are amongst the best in the world already. I do appreciate your response though, and I agree with the pitch clock. As for Manfred, you need to convince the Owners that he needs to go. Good luck. Fortunately, he has announced his retirement but it truly does feel like it can’t come soon enough.
Koufax needed TJ bec he threw 330 innings every yr & pitched on 2 days rest. He wore himself out by age 30. If he took a breather now & again, made a few less starts he might have pitched a few more seasons. He was the best tho. Last 5 yrs of his career are unmatched in mlb history. He’s still kicking around too. I believe he’s the only 1 of the 1955 brooklyn dodgers still alive
Fun fact- Duke Snider used to be my neighbor in Fallbrook. Nicest guy around! RIP
@Johnny utah: Actually two are living. Koufax is 88 and Carl Erskine is 97.
Fallbrook beautiful place! Escondido boy here.
Nice, Dice! We golf the old Boulder Creek and Eagle’s Crest occasionally. Love me some Deedo! Was sad to see Estrada’s restaurant close. Cheers neighbor!
Koufax had Arthritis of the Elbow, that’s why he retired, not, because he needed a TJS
The diagnosis was arthritis because MRIs didnt exist so chronic pain was chalked up to arthritis. It likely wasnt arthritis. In hindsight, Koufax didn’t think he tore his UCL. The pioneer of TJS, Dr. Jobe, suspects Koufax did indeed have a UCL injury.
@baron
Forgot about erskine. yea they’re the only brooklyn boys still around. Ebbets field is now an apartment complex. What a shame. That place was an institution , should have turned into a museum. Or better never should have left for LA:(
@gwynn
They were all nice. Duke, pee wee, gilly
The boys of summer….
@Johnny utah: Right off Empire Boulevard, a little more than a mile across Prospect Park from my house.
And Walter O’Malley made a brilliant business decision moving the team to LA. Given Robert Moses’ refusal to condemn the site at Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues where the Barclays Center stands today combined with the sweetheart deal LA offered, the Dodgers absolutely made the right choice and should have left.
Your gripe is with the City of New York, not with the Dodgers.
@baron
Moses is definitely responsible. He was awful.
But omalley had his sights set on a new city & new fans for a long time. He was a businessman. He didnt care for the brooklyn fan base. He even convinced ny giants to leave too. There were 4 owners of the brooklyn dodgers & he pushed them all out. His grandson was the owner/GM of the padres, who recently passed away sadly. Random fact lol. In any event im not old enough to remember the team but i know the area very well. Wish i could have been there to watch campy & jackie. Did you see them play or before your time?
Where did you find this stat that 130 pitchers on the DL before opening day? That would average 4 pitchers per team, seems a little accessive, but not impossible. And of those 130, how many area on thr mend from last season, or the year before? Like, I wouldnt count Buehler as he’s being brought along slowly but if this was the 70s, he would have been back last year like he tried to do, but the team chose to take it slow for hopeful long term positive results. PS, it’s IL now, but semantics.
spotrac.com/mlb/injured-list/
It’s actually 183 pitchers currently on IL. As far as when they were injured that really is not relevant to the total # of pitchers currently on IL. Regardless of when injured they are currently on IL.
With waldichuk and his 739,379 days on the IL according to that list. I question it. And many of those guys haven’t been hurt in the past year. And when you re-enter the info it says 141 current pitchers. Like I said, don’t doubt it to be close to 130, but currently 130 hurt and on the IL within the past year is likely a little accessive.
Pitchers per game has been rising just as fast as fastball velocity. More pitchers pitching everyday means more opportunities for injuries. Years ago only 2 or 3 guys pitched per game. Now it’s 4 or 5
@wreckage: Speaking of semantics, it’s EXCESSIVE, not ACCESSIVE.
ACCESSIVE refers to an act of access, not an extreme number of events or amount of anything.
“my goodness before the 70s NOBODY was going down with TJ injuries”
Incredible how you say something so stupid with such confidence
When the teams stop giving them bazillion dollar contracts.
This news sucks! Strider is a stud. Hoping it’s not serious and he’s back to dominating soon.
The words nobody wants to hear together. Elbow discomfort and MRI.
Huge loss for ATL but the train doesn’t stop for any one player. Maybe Waldrep time?
All pitchers break.
Is there some new offseason throwing program that is obviously a bad idea?
New curveball this spring. The new torque movement causes some elbow pain. Remember that a curve is thrown “over” an imaginary level broomstick.
His arm will rebound.
Strider only had thrown curveball 14% of time.he had never thrown a curveball in a game prior to this season. Seems like a big redflag right there.
+1 Tigers, you nailed it. I’m surprised more are not talking about this. Pitch selection and usage are a huge part of these injuries.
The new “Timmy”….
Never draft a pitcher with your first pick in a fantasy draft.
I’ve made a terrible mistake.
That’s a worthy risk in Strider’s case, Mike. Though, your point stands. Another fantasy tip? Don’t trade for Wander Franco two weeks before he destroys his career. I won’t even mention who I gave-up in exchange – I digress.
Hush up, commie
Another brilliant comment, Hotdog. You’re on a roll.
Ehhh, just for sheets and giggles 30 Parks… who did you trade away?
Idk why, but your scenario reminds me of an old The Far Side cartoon- “Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.”
Bummer dude!
… I’m not ready to discuss the details of that ill-fated trade. Oh, the humanity! The baseball gods rarely act against me, but … have a good day, Gwynning.
Can’t win ’em all, 30. Chin up, buckaroo! Have a great weekend amigo
Goodbye, HD2. The Mute button bids you farewell.
The baseball gods giveth Jared Jones and taketh away Spencer Strider.
I seen this coming before he got injured. Whenever you see bigger young pitchers do well after their first year or two, they always need TJ surgery right after.. it never fails. I’m not surprised in the least bit
Oh good more reasons for Braves fans to whine
Maybe Manfred can actually do something productive before he retires and look into why so many pitchers are getting injured nowadays
MLB literally already announced that they have initiated a comprehensive study on pitcher injuries
It’s no secret, fred. Teams demand huge velocity, spin, and break, and those things tend to destroy arms over time.
Maybe start with little Braxton playing 150 games in 12U and trying to light up the radar gun before he gets his first pubic hair.
Why are you looking at the pubic regions of 11 year old boys?
Haha, you get my point, c’mon.
Damn that’s horrible news for the braves, even though I’m a mets fan, I really like the way strider pitches reminds me of a young degrom he’s fearless. Speedy recovery
I have to love all the commenters asserting Strider is ‘overrated’..
Strider is 25 and a half years old, explain why he is overrated at that age, and then compare him to pitchers of the same age and tell me he is overrated. I’ve never heard such garbage. Who overrated him? The media?
Furthermore, go and compare Roger Clemens lifetime stats or even his stats at 24 and 25 years of age to Strider, and then tell me Strider is overrated with such a small sample size. Was Clemens overrated at 24 and 25 years of age?
In order to overrate someone first he would have had to have been blown up for him to be in this position.
I personally don’t overrate 25 and a half year old’s, because if they stay longer in the league with the ability he has shown he will improve more and more. Hopefully he doesn’t need a second Tommy John.
Clemens K9 8.6
Strider 13.5
Clemens BB9 2.9
Strider 3.0
Clemens HR9 0.7
Strider 0.9
Clemens whip 1.17
Strider 1.07
Clemens FIP 3.09
Strider 2.55
Again, Strider is 25 and a half. Imagine talking absolute crap about him with that ability.
I don’t think it’s so much as being overrated as him being a two pitch pitcher and knowing that this outcome would happen and batters eventually catching up to him. If he develops another devastating pitch then yes he’s one of the best in baseball.
He did it this year and was doing it through spring training: curveball. His previous 3rd pitch was a change-up but only threw it ~5% b/c it felt awkward with slider/FB, but he liked the curve b/c of the similarity of motion for him. Take a look at his ’24 ST stats to see the effect. Obviously, 2 GS into the season, we haven’t seen it, especially when one of those starts he may have had the injury/inflammation already.
Well hopefully for him this is just a minor hiccup and he does completely develop. I always route for top notch talent to excel.
@Mets. If he has put up those stats with just two pitches, then maybe he’s underrated. Or underestimated. Or undervalued. Or sold short. Or wrongly downgraded. Etc… Or are we all just being underly overstated, up=deemphasized and exaggerated?
Clemens pitched in a completely different era. There was an emphasis on putting the ball in play until the last 10-15 years. Pitchers also went much longer into games, while Strider is just letting it air out for 6 innings. I agree, Strider isn’t overrated though.
Clemens probly wasnt taking PEDs at age 24 that came later but nonetheless i’d never compare the likes of his cheating @ss to anyone else
Just like some dimwitted people think that A-Rod did steroids since he was in High School, although anyone with at least a half a brain knows he started doing it when he was with Texas.
He’s lucky they won. Staying in a game with pain in the arm and throwing like that is unacceptable. I surely hope for the best and that it is just inflammation but he can’t do that. Players need to speak up immediately and not put the team and themselves in jeopardy.
The outcome of a particular game pales in comparison to a player’s health.
I can’t stand the Braves, but I hate seeing talented players get hurt. No one deserves that. I hope it’s nothing serious, and he’s back asap. This guy is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and it sucks for all us, but especially Braves fans. Hope he’s ok.
IF STRIDERS OUT, “ELDER SKELTER”!
Spencer Strider ate a spider.
Now get rid of the pitching clocks and the rule a new pitcher must face 3 batters, along with Manfred runners on base in extra innings!!!
Why do you want pitchers to stand around for a minute or two while we all are picking our noses? The pitch clock has been a great thing for baseball.
Pitchers need more time to recover after each pitch. What’ a “great thing” for MLB isn’t great for the players or the fans as the pitchers are replaced with inferior pitchers.
Not to mention the gamesmanship, and head games were part of the game.
This epidemic started when the slider essentially replaced the change and curve.
Strider needs to seek the healing hands of Elrond.
What does Mr. Hubbard have to do with this?
Sorry, stupid jokes seem to be the MO is this room now.
Not a Braves fan and have a disdain for Atlanta since my dad got mugged there. But this is a bummer for baseball.
Grow up, you get my point. These kids are rehabbing TJ surgery before even hitting college or the draft. All for velo, spin rate, and pay-to-play tourney ball culture.
No clue how this comment ended up here. Was trying to respond to another comment. Sorry about that, Ski.
A shame as Slencer was making Strides
I find the predictably unpredictable nature of pitching fascinating