Murphy's rocky start continues to highlight Braves' need for starting pitching

ATLANTA -- Like JR Ritchie, Owen Murphy should be excited about what the future holds. But neither of these promising prospects has appeared to be ready to help the Braves fix their rotation woes.

Murphy lasted just 2 2/3 innings while making his first MLB start in a 7-6 loss to the Rangers on Saturday afternoon at Truist Park. The Braves’ offense has started the season’s second half in auspicious fashion. But the first two games since the All-Star break have highlighted the fact that Atlanta’s rotation holds a lot of uncertainty beyond Chris Sale.

“We need to take a step forward with our starting pitching,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “The guys have done it. They've been good this year, especially early on, for a few months. So it's certainly in there. But yeah, we’ve got to put together some good starts.”

Concerns about the starting rotation existed before four Braves starters were injured during Spring Training. They subsided as Bryce Elder pitched like an All-Star candidate for two months and Martín Pérez exceeded all expectations during most of the first half.

However, the Braves’ rotation has posted a 5.53 ERA as the team has lost 20 of 31 dating back to June 9. Atlanta’s starters have averaged less than five innings per start during this stretch. When Sale threw seven scoreless innings in Friday’s series-opening win, it marked the first time a Braves starter had completed seven innings since Sale had done so on May 20. More telling is that his gem marked just the fourth time during this 31-game span that an Atlanta starter completed at least six innings.

Murphy allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks. Most of his damage was incurred after left fielder Mauricio Dubón collided with Michael Harris II, preventing the center fielder from fielding a routine fly ball to begin the second inning. The Rangers responded with four singles in the next five plate appearances. Three of those hits came off the bat at 102.4 mph or higher, and the other had a 94.2 mph exit velocity.

Along with surrendering some loud contact, Murphy also struggled to miss bats. The Rangers whiffed on one of 14 swings against a fastball that averaged 92.8 mph and on none of the eight swings taken against his changeup. The slider induced three whiffs on five swings.

There wasn’t anything that necessarily stood out about the start or signaled the young hurler should stick in the Majors for another start. But there’s no shame in the fact that he wasn’t ready. Murphy hadn't pitched above the High-A level before this year, and he posted a 4.44 ERA over the 16 combined starts he made at Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett this year.

So, why was he given this start? Quite honestly, the Braves have run out of internal options. Pérez suffered a left forearm contusion on July 5 and won’t be eligible to be activated from the injured list until Tuesday. He will likely start Wednesday’s game against the Padres.

The next five days, the Braves’ rotation could consist of Grant Holmes, Reynaldo López, Elder, Pérez and Sale. Hurston Waldrep, who struggled with his command before being optioned on July 10, will become a rotation option again next weekend. AJ Smith-Shawver, who struck out five in 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a rehab start for Gwinnett on Saturday, could also be available if necessary on Thursday or Friday.

Sale is bidding for a second National League Cy Young Award in three seasons, and López has been decent since returning to the rotation in late June. If Elder and Pérez can pitch like they did during the early part of the season, they could help stabilize the rotation. As for Waldrep, he could become an asset once he shakes off the rust he developed as he recovered from a February arthroscopic right elbow surgery.

The Braves can’t depend on Spencer Strider or Spencer Schwellenbach. Strider could be done for the season with a right elbow injury, and Schwellenbach hasn’t even been sent to Florida to begin what would be a four- to six-week process to prepare to pitch for the first time in more than a year.

There’s certainly reason to think the Braves will be among the teams bidding for the top starters available before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. But with so many teams still in playoff contention, it’s unclear who will be available.

So, for now, the Braves can only focus on their internal options and hope to eventually be confident in their rotation.