Braves Absolutely Need Mike Foltynewicz to Step up for Pitching Staff Down the Stretch

Are the Atlanta Braves in first place in the NL East? Yes. Do they have the best pitching staff in their division? Absolutely not.

They should feel comfortable with a 6.5-game lead, but they need more out of their starting pitching to avoid a major collapse.

Mike Foltynewicz has the potential to be the missing piece the Braves' rotation so desperately needs, but he needs to regain his 2018 All-Star form.

Foltynewicz was dreadful early this season, earning himself a demotion to Triple-A in late June. He posted a 6.37 ERA and had allowed an alarming 16 home runs in 59.1 innings. Despite the struggles from their expected ace, the Braves have still put together a strong season.

Mike Soroka took over the ace role and Julio Teheran settled in as their second best hurler. In most divisions they could live with having Max Fried and Dallas Keuchel as their third and fourth starters, but that might not be enough to survive the NL East or make a meaningful push in October, considering the talent in some contending rotations.

Since returning to big league soil, Folty has tossed 11.1 innings, striking out 14 batters and surrendering 7 earned runs, including a pair of home runs. While the strikeouts are encouraging, the 27-year-old is still struggling to keep runs off the board.

He's due to take the mound against the Dodgers on Saturday for his next start, a tall task for the right-hander. Up against a power-packed lineup, Folty's main game plan will be to prevent the long ball.

Hopefully he can find his groove Saturday and help regain his confidence for Atlanta's stretch run in September, as the Braves look to fend off their surging division rivals.