The Atlanta Braves National League Wild Card Series roster is set in stone as they face the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach and NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale did not make the roster. The Braves will use an even split of 13 pitchers and batters. Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters Monday that Sale’s back issues became more concerning during his last start on September 16. In that start, the left-hander allowed two runs over five innings against the Cincinnati Reds but had a drop in his velocity.
For Schwellenbach, his exclusion from the roster comes as no surprise. Schwellenbach threw 94 pitches over seven innings of Monday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets. If Atlanta advances to the NLDS, Schwellenabch and Sale will likely be part of the rotation for that series.
Braves’ Sale, Schwellenbach Excluded from Wild Card Roster
General manager Alex Anthopoulos insisted that the latest round of back issues for Sale only came after a throwing session on Sunday.
“He’s been throwing all week just to keep his arm going,” Anthopoulos said. “He went out to the cages to throw. He came in after and told us his back was tight. We talked to him about it and he told us he’s pitched with worse.”
Sale ended the season as the NL pitching Triple Crown winner, posting 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts.
The Braves will need to get creative against the Padres without Sale or Schwellenbach. Using multiple pitchers during the doubleheader was less than ideal. Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez are likely to start Game 2 and 3 respectively. They should be on normal rest for those games following their final regular season starts. Charlie Morton started on Sunday and might not be available early in the series, despite being on the roster.
Atlanta will look to get innings out of Bryce Elder or AJ Smith-Shawver. Neither one has been strong of late but may need to help out while the bullpen has been used up. Elder posted a 6.52 ERA with the Braves this year but was up and down from the minors. Smith-Shawver only pitched once in the majors this year, posting a 4.85 ERA in 4 1/3 innings.
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