Spencer Strider just wrapped up his best start since undergoing Tommy John Surgery last season. He pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, issuing only one walk, and striking out 13 (!) batters. He threw 87 pitches, 61 of which were strikes. He was vintage Strider. As encouraging as his start was, Atlanta Braves must keep one thing in mind. The team he faced was the Colorado Rockies.

Strider was in complete command from the moment he took the mound. I mean, through his first three innings of work, only four of his 32 pitches were balls. That’s right: 87.5 percent of his pitches were strikes through three innings, which is absurd.

As dominant as he was, though, the fact that he pitched against what could be the worst team in modern baseball history is context that can’t be ignored. It’s hard to make the proclamation that Strider is back with that context in mind.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Braves fans need to see Saturday’s version of Spencer Strider against any other team

The Rockies are 13-56 on the year and are 6-29 on the road. They’ve averaged just 2.5 runs per game on the road, which is the lowest mark by far in the majors. I don’t mean to be disrespectful to the Rockies, but a MLB pitcher having a good game against them isn’t exactly newsworthy.

In Strider’s previous five starts, he posted a 5.40 ERA and struck out only 24 batters in 25 innings of work. He looked like a shell of his once dominant self, to put it lightly, even in games against underwhelming offenses. He was able to dominate the worst offense in the game, but how will he fare against literally anyone else?

Now, I will say, his stuff was as good as it’s been since his return. His velocity was up considerably, and his breaking pitches had more bite. His command was also far better than it had been. There are signs that Strider might be turning a corner, but again, Braves fans simply need to see it against a team that isn’t as bad as the Rockies to fully buy in.

If Strider can do this again, even against a team like the Miami Marlins, whom he’s projected to face his next time out, Braves fans can slowly start to talk themselves into thinking Strider is finally back.