Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Excluded from wild-card roster
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Schwellenbach is not on Atlanta's roster for the National League Wild Card Series against the Padres.
It's not a surprise after Schwellenbach threw 94 pitches over seven innings in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets. If Atlanta advances to the NLDS, Schwellenbach will undoubtedly be part of the rotation for that series.
Schwellenbach came away with a no-decision in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.
The rookie right-hander was sharp once again, firing 68 of 94 pitches for strikes in his 12th quality start of the season and leaving the mound in line for a playoff-clinching victory. Atlanta's bullpen unraveled however, coughing up eight runs in the final two frames to cost Schwellenbach his ninth win. He wraps up an impressive first regular season in the majors with a 3.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 127:23 K:BB through 123.2 innings, but Atlanta -- which won the nightcap to get into the postseason -- will likely need to advance past the Wild Card Round for Schwellenbach to pitch again in 2024.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Set to start matinee of twin bill
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Schwellenbach will start the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the Mets, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Schwellenbach will get another start prior to the end of the regular season as Atlanta will be forced to play a doubleheader with New York on Monday. The team needs to win at least one of the two games to clinch a spot in the playoffs. The right-hander has recorded three straight quality starts, posting a 1.89 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 15 strikeouts over 19 innings in those outings.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Sharp in eighth win
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Schwellenbach (8-7) picked up the win in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Mets, allowing one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out four.
The rookie right-hander took a shutout into the seventh inning before serving up a solo shot to Mark Vientos, and Schwellenbach left the mound after 87 pitches (62 strikes). He has been huge for Atlanta down the stretch as the team tries to earn a playoff berth -- he's given up three runs or fewer in 11 straight outings, posting a 2.59 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 73:13 K:BB through 66 innings over that stretch, and Tuesday's quality start was his third straight and his 11th of the year. He's tentatively scheduled to work the final game of the regular season at home Sunday against the Royals, with a potential wild-card spot on the line.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Fans six in victory
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Schwellenbach (6-7) earned the win Friday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out six.
The 24-year-old rookie fared well against the star-studded Dodgers to pick up his first win since Aug. 22 versus Philadelphia. With this 92-pitch outing, Schwellenbach collected his ninth quality start of the season, and he's made nine consecutive starts without allowing more than three runs. Over that stretch, the Atlanta right-hander has been a fantasy stalwart, pitching to a 2.89 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 64:10 K:BB across 53 innings. He is scheduled to make his next start at Cincinnati next week.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Eight Ks in no-decision
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Schwellenbach came away with a no-decision in Tuesday's 8-6 extra-inning win over the Twins, giving up five hits and three walks over 4.2 scoreless innings. He struck out eight.
Atlanta spotted the rookie right-hander a 4-0 lead, but Schwellenbach wasn't efficient enough to take advantage as he needed 106 pitches (67 strikes) to record 14 outs. The bullpen then let Minnesota back into the game late in the later innings. Schwellenbach has allowed three runs or less in all five of his August trips to the mound, posting a 3.07 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and dazzling 42:8 K:BB through 29.1 innings on the month. He faces a tough test in his next start, which lines up to come on the road this weekend in Philadelphia.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Fans nine in win
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Schwellenbach (5-6) picked up the win over the Phillies on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over 6.2 innings. He struck out nine.
Schwellenbach allowed two of the first three batters to reach in the opening frame, ultimately resulting in a run coming home for Philadelphia. However, the right-hander proceeded to go 1-2-3 through each of the next five innings, striking out eight batters over that stretch before surrendering another run in the seventh. Schwellenbach induced 20 whiffs in the contest and has now recorded at least seven strikeouts in six consecutive starts. It also marked the first win this month for the 24-year-old, though he's now given up three or fewer runs in five straight outings.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Quality start at Colorado
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Schwellenbach allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies on Sunday.
Schwellenbach was initially expected to be skipped for this start, but Atlanta changed plans to keep him on turn this time. He rewarded that faith with his fifth quality start in his last six outings, but Atlanta's bullpen imploded in the eighth inning to cost him the win. Schwellenbach is now at a 3.95 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 77:12 K:BB through 70.2 innings over 12 starts in the majors. The 24-year-old is at a total of 115.2 innings across all levels this year after throwing just 65 innings in 2023, so it's still possible his workload gets trimmed back at some point. Consider him tentatively penciled in to make his next start on the road versus the Angels.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Next start coming Sunday
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Schwellenbach will start Sunday in Colorado, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Atlanta had previously announced that Schwellenbach's next turn in the rotation would be skipped as a means to reduce his workload. However, Atlanta has reversed course and will give the ball to the rookie Sunday after all. It's still possible Schwellenbach will have a turn skipped and/or get pushed back in the pitching schedule at a later date since he's already far exceeded his 2023 workload.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Next turn being skipped
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Atlanta will skip Schwellenbach's next turn in the rotation, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Presumably it's being done as a means to manage his workload, as the rookie right-hander is already more than 40 innings past last season's workload. Schwellenbach's next turn would have been Sunday in Colorado, and Atlanta has not yet listed a probable pitcher for that time. The 24-year-old should make his next start the following weekend against the Angels.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Reaches double-digit Ks again
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Schwellenbach did not factor into the decision in Friday's 5-3 win versus Miami, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks over seven innings. He struck out 10.
After punching out a career-high 11 in his last start, the Atlanta rookie generated an impressive 17 whiffs en route to his 10 punchouts in this 94-pitch outing. After allowing a two-run homer to Jonah Bride in the first inning, the only other blemish on Schwellenbach's performance was a 416-foot solo shot given up to Jake Burger in the third. The right-hander has been splendid post-All-Star break, firing 20 innings with a 3.15 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 29:0 K:BB. Schwellenbach is currently slated to face the Brewers at home in his next start.
Schwellenbach (4-5) picked up the win Saturday, scattering two hits over seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over the Mets. He struck out 11 without walking a batter.
The rookie right-hander was simply dominant, setting a new career high in Ks and becoming just the fifth pitcher in franchise history to have a double-digit strikeout game in the first 10 appearances of their career. Schwellenbach is emerging as an ace for Atlanta -- in four July outings, he's posted a stunning 2.08 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 28:1 K:BB over 26 innings, not bad for someone who didn't even begin pitching until his final season of college ball in 2021. He lines up to make his next start at home next week against a Marlins team that has already shipped out Jazz Chisholm and could be further depleted by the trade deadline.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Friday's start rained out
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Schwellenbach won't start as scheduled Friday against the Cardinals, as the game was postponed due to rain.
Atlanta and St. Louis will play a doubleheader Saturday. Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder will start during the twin bill, while Schwellenbach will get bumped to Sunday's contest, per Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 24-year-old allowed four earned runs in five innings while striking out six batters and walking none in a loss the first time he faced the Cards on June 24.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Strong in win Friday
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Schwellenbach (3-4) allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three over seven innings to earn the win Friday over the Padres.
After a middling June, Schwellenbach has allowed just two runs over 13 innings across his first two starts in July. The only downside to his performance Friday was that his three strikeouts matched his season low. The rookie right-hander has a 4.43 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB through 44.2 innings over the first eight starts of his career.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Notches second win
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Schwellenbach (2-4) allowed one run on seven hits and struck out six without walking a batter over six innings to earn the win over the Phillies on Saturday.
Schwellenbach earned his third quality start of the year after allowing four runs in each of his last two outings. The rookie right-hander limited the damage to a Trea Turner RBI single in the third inning, though Atlanta's lead was never threatened. Schwellenbach is still finding his footing in the majors with a 5.02 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 38:9 K:BB over 37.2 innings across seven starts, but outings like Saturday's show his potential. He's projected to make his next start on the road versus the Diamondbacks.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Falls apart in fifth
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Schwellenbach (1-4) took the loss Sunday against the Pirates, giving up four runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
He cruised through four innings before running into a buzzsaw in the fifth, courtesy of two-run homers by Oneil Cruz and Rowdy Tellez. Schwellenbach had a similar issue in his last start against the Cardinals, giving up all four of his runs in the third inning. The rookie right-hander has now given up at least four runs in half of his six career starts and has seen his ERA jump to 5.68. He's scheduled for a tough test against the Phillies next weekend.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Set to start Wednesday
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Schwellenbach is listed as Atlanta's starting pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Orioles in Baltimore.
He will be matched up against former college teammate Cade Povich in a battle between two of the top pitching prospects in both organizations. Schwellenbach hasn't looked sharp in his first two major-league outings, allowing a total of nine runs over 9.2 innings in losses to the Nationals and Red Sox. The young righty's future still looks bright, but he'll be difficult to trust for fantasy purposes Wednesday in a tough matchup.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Makes pro debut at Single-A
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Schwellenbach (elbow) covered 1.2 no-hit scoreless innings for Single-A Augusta in his season debut Thursday, striking out one while working around two walks.
Schwellenbach threw 26 of his 42 pitches for strikes in the appearance, the first of his professional career after he was selected by Atlanta in the second round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He didn't pitch in either of the 2021 and 2022 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted, but he reported to spring training at full health and received the green light to bypass the rookie-ball level entirely.
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Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach: Throwing again
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Schwellenbach (elbow) announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he's been cleared to play catch off flat ground.
Schwellenbach's light catch session Monday at extended spring training marked his first time throwing since undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. Due to the timing of his procedure along with the fact that Atlanta plans to develop him as a starter, the 2021 second-round pick may not be cleared to make his professional debut until the final month of this season or potentially 2023.
