Just when you think the Braves’ nightmarish season couldn’t get any worse — it does.
After tossing what might’ve been his best start of the season this past weekend against the Phillies, Spencer Schwellenbach is headed to the 15-day IL with a fractured right elbow. There is currently some hope that Schwellenbach will pitch again this season, but it’s currently unclear if Atlanta will even still be close to a playoff spot by September.
After allowing just a single earned run across seven innings on Saturday, Schwellenbach’s season-long ERA sat at a pristine 3.09. The right-hander also struck out a season-high 12 opponents in that spectacular appearance. It was the seventh time in Schwellenbach’s past nine outings that he’d thrown at least seven frames. In 38 career starts, Schwellenbach possesses a 3.23 ERA and a 3.25 FIP. He may not have been the dark horse NL Cy Young candidate many projected him to be back in March, but it was very likely that Schwellenbach was headed to the All-Star Game in a couple weeks’ time.
Following today’s unfortunate news, the Braves are +3500 to win the NL East on DraftKings Sportsbook. They are currently 11.5 games back of the Phillies.
