LOS ANGELES -- Spencer Strider never had the pleasure of meeting Bobby Cox. But with his most impressive start in more than two years, the rejuvenated pitcher gave the Braves and their fans a chance to celebrate a win on a day reserved to honor the beloved Hall of Fame manager.
After Cox passed away Saturday morning, the baseball world reminisced about the great success he had while serving as Atlanta’s manager for more than two decades. He guided the Braves to 14 straight division titles, five NL pennants and one World Series title with the strength of great pitching staffs.
So, what better way to celebrate Cox than with a great pitching performance. Strider was up to the challenge as he quieted his doubters and once again looked like a frontline starter while helping the Braves claim a 7-2 win over the Dodgers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Ozzie Albies and Matt Olson recorded consecutive two-run singles off Blake Snell in the second inning and Michael Harris II’s RBI double in the fifth scored Austin Riley from first base with Atlanta’s sixth run. Hope for the Braves to win 6-0 on a day the baseball world honored No. 6 were erased by Drake Baldwin’s two-out single in the eighth.
The Braves snapped an eight-game losing streak at Dodger Stadium and won at the historic ballpark for just the ninth time in 33 tries since the start of 2018 (playoffs included). But the more encouraging development was seeing Strider record eight strikeouts and allow just one hit over six scoreless innings.
Strider showed he still has the potential to be the dominating pitcher he was when he tallied a MLB-best 483 strikeouts from 2022-23. He underwent UCL brace surgery in April 2024 and fought to regain both velocity and movement with his pitches last year. He began this year on the injured list and struggled with his command when he was given the unenviable task of making his season debut at Coors Field last week.
But with this scoreless effort against the Dodgers’ powerful lineup, Strider provided a better indication of what he could offer going forward. His four-seam fastball averaged 96.4 mph, the pitch’s highest average in a game since it averaged 96.7 mph during his 2024 season debut in Philadelphia. He injured his elbow during the start that followed.
When Strider recorded a franchise record 281 strikeouts in 2023, his four-seamer averaged 97.2 mph and the inverted vertical break, which measures late life, averaged 18.4 inches. The pitch’s average IVB on Saturday night was 17 inches, up from 16.4 inches last year.