Braves News: Remembering Bobby Cox, strides from Spencer Strider, more

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 02: MLB Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Bobby Cox stand on the field after the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Detroit Tigers at Turner Field on October 2, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) | Getty Images On a sad day overall for Braves Country, due to the passing of the legendary Bobby Cox, Spencer Strider gave Atlanta fans something to be happy and hopeful about with a stellar outing, shutting down the Dodgers potent offense for 6. 0 innings with 8 strikeouts and 15 whiffs.

He looked as good as he has in a long time. His fastball averaged 96. 4 MPH, with 17 inches of induced vertical break and he had four pitches working nicely together.

Even if Strider doesn’t quite return to his Jacob deGrom levels of dominance, having him as a true #1 or #2 quality starter would make a huge difference for this Braves team to pair with Chris Sale. Bryce Elder has been great this season, but shouldn’t be the second best starter in the rotation of a World Series contender. If Strider can keep something like Saturday night’s version of himself moving forward, that’s a huge development for him and this team.

Braves News Braves Country and the baseball world at large lost Hall of Famer Bobby Cox on Saturday . We remembered Bobby’s life and legacy here onsite . Spencer Strider had a strong outing against the formidable Dodgers’ lineup and the offense got the job done in a win on a night in Bobby Cox’ shadow.