Braves Grant Holmes decision points to lack of healthy options

Therewere understandable questions facing the Atlanta Bravesrotation this past week after Grant Holmes put together one of his uglier outings of the season. Atlanta made it clear that a change wasn't being made, with Holmes remaining in the rotation. This doesn't come as a surprise, as Martin Perez and Bryce Elder are both coming off getting rocked as well, and the Braves simply are out of answers at a position that earlier in the year appeared to have a wealth of potential options.

Injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, and Hurston Waldrep have robbed the Braves of their depth and forced a level of patience most postseason contenders can't afford. The Braves still have a comfortable National League East lead and are within reach of one of the league's top seeds. However, there is no denying Atlanta has a pitching problem right now, with a lack of confidence that will be hard to restore over the final month of the season.

What makes Holmes so frustrating to watch is understanding his potential, with this past week's implosion being set up by 12.0 scoreless innings that showed off the best version of the right-hander. The same can be said of Elder, with both pitchers appearing to be either shutdown options or complete liabilities.

As things currently stand, only Chris Sale has offered a reliable level of production, with newcomer Tyler Mahle offering a solid start as well. For the Braves, it is fair to wonder what this means for both the future of Holmes and the upcoming postseason.

Braves Grant Holmes Decision Points to Mounting Injuries in Struggling Rotation

Holmes completed 3.2 innings, giving up six earned runs and taxing an Atlanta pen that has been asked to do far too much in recent weeks. Manager Walt Weiss is doing everything reasonable to treat each game as important, but when you're receiving these types of pitching performances, it is hard to justify this.

It will be interesting to watch how Holmes finishes the last month of the season, understanding that both his postseason starting chance and next year's shot at the rotation are both in question. The Braves are truly holding an open competition for the second start in the postseason behind Sale, with no one stepping up to consistently prove themselves capable of being up for the challenge.

Holmes has this at stake, as well as his future with the team, as next year's rotation appears to be unquestionably loaded. It is only injuries that have afforded the starter this level of patience and this number of chances; it is now simply a matter of what Holmes can do over the next six weeks looking to take advantage of this opportunity.

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