Braves would be wise to pace their rotation

This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Whenever you ask a manager if the upcoming series is a big one, you’ll usually hear something generic like: “Every game is a big one.” Bobby Cox used to just say: “They all count the same.”

And then you have moments like earlier this week, when Brian Snitker said one of the reasons Reynaldo López is getting the ball on regular rest on Sunday is to get him a start during this weekend’s Phillies series.

“It’s a division rival,” Snitker said. “Those are always big.”

Beyond the division showdown, there are other reasons they are having López start on regular rest. Bryce Elder wouldn’t be eligible to come up unless he was replacing an injured player. Allan Winans had a great June for Triple-A Gwinnett, but scouts have continued to complain about the lack of talent that exists at the Triple-A level this year.

Even if there was an intriguing option to use as the sixth starter, Snitker doesn’t like the fact that the six-man rotation removes a bullpen option because teams can’t carry more than 13 pitchers. I’m convinced he would carry 16 pitchers if he could.

But back to this weekend’s series. Is it a big one? Sure it is. If the Braves lose it and end up being 10-plus games back, they can forget about celebrating a seventh straight National League East crown. But if they were to sweep or win the series, they would still be in the mix.

However, there is no reason to sprint toward a division title this year. As I mentioned in Monday’s newsletter, the Braves have done a great job pacing their starters and relievers this year. One day later, they confirmed López will start on regular rest.

(I see this as improvement. They traded Nicky López to the White Sox the same day I wrote that he was worth the $4 million he would have gotten through arbitration.)

Anyhow, when I suggested the Braves should just continue pacing their pitchers and not overexert themselves to gain another division crown, some social media users felt like I was saying the team should punt the season at the halfway mark. Others expressed displeasure about devaluing the regular season.

In no way shape or form am I suggesting the Braves wave the white flag. I’m actually suggesting they strengthen their bid to win another World Series title. Would you rather enter the postseason as NL East champs with a fatigued rotation? Or would you rather enter the postseason as a Wild Card entrant with a still-capable rotation?

As for devaluing the regular season, there are now multiple paths to reach what has always been the only true goal. You should have great memories from the 100-win seasons the Braves produced the past two years. Those were two of the most exciting 162-game stretches in franchise history.

But even though it’s harder to be the best team for six months, we only celebrate teams who were the best during that final month that follows the regular season.

If Max Fried, Chris Sale, López and Charlie Morton enter October with something left in the tank, Atlanta has a chance to win the World Series for the second time in four years.

So, yeah every game is important. But for this year’s Braves, it’s more about how they stand, rather than where they stand at the end of the regular season.