ATLANTA -- When Wednesday night¡¯s game was postponed approximately three hours before the scheduled first pitch at Truist Park, some Mets thought the Braves were just trying to avoid using spot starter Allan Winans.

The decision was actually a prudent one, as rain soaked Truist Park most of the night.

As for the decision to go ahead and give Winans a start, it might not have looked great during the Braves¡¯ 16-4 loss to the Mets on Thursday afternoon. But it may prove to be quite valuable as Atlanta attempts to keep all of its starters strong throughout the regular season.

¡°Our eye is always going to be on the long haul here,¡± Braves manager Brian Snitker said. ¡°It¡¯s a long season. We¡¯ve done it for as long as I¡¯ve been here.¡±

It¡¯s hard to argue with this big-picture approach that has helped the club win six straight National League East titles. The 100-win seasons tallied both of the past two years have ended with losses to the Phillies in the NL Division Series. This seems to enhance the importance of the Braves doing whatever they can to enter October as strong as possible.

¡°You have to look ahead, and you have to look at the whole thing,¡± Snitker said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to give guys extra rest when you can and stay away from relievers sometimes. It¡¯s just part of getting through 162 games.¡±

When Wednesday¡¯s game was postponed, the Braves could have skipped Winans, who was promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill the void left by Spencer Strider¡¯s injury. But instead they stuck with the plan to give him a start. Consequently, each of the team¡¯s primary starters (Max Fried, Chris Sale, Reynaldo L¨®pez and Charlie Morton) will take their next turn with an extra day of rest.

This could prove especially valuable for Sale and L¨®pez, neither of whom has experienced a full season as a starter since 2019. Instead of putting an innings limit on either of these veterans, Atlanta will monitor their workloads while taking advantage of opportunities, like this chance to pitch with an extra day of rest.

It¡¯s not like the Braves punted this series finale when they made the decision to send Winans to the mound. The right-hander allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his six starts last year. This included him tossing seven scoreless innings against the Mets on Aug. 12.

But this latest outing didn¡¯t go his way.

Winans surrendered seven runs (six earned) over five innings in his spot start on Thursday. A couple unfortunate plays blemished his line. Austin Riley was nearly hit in the face by a bad hop that came off Pete Alonso¡¯s bat in the first inning. This helped lead to the game¡¯s first run.

Brandon Nimmo¡¯s RBI double in the two-run second might have been an out had center fielder Michael Harris II not had to recover after initially breaking in on the ball, and the next run wouldn¡¯t have scored but for an error by shortstop Orlando Arcia. The Mets added four runs in the third.

Unfortunately for Winans, this homestand didn¡¯t end like it started, with the Braves staging two big comeback wins against the D-backs.

The 4-2 homestand started with Strider struggling through four innings before complaining of right elbow discomfort. He may need to undergo a second Tommy John surgery or some other season-ending procedure. An announcement will be made within the next couple days.

Winans was a short-term fix. Now the Braves must decide who will fill Strider¡¯s rotation spot on Tuesday in Houston. Bryce Elder is the best long-term option. He hasn¡¯t pitched for Triple-A Gwinnett since Saturday, so he would have a few extra days of rest.

If Atlanta wanted to keep Elder on a more regular schedule and give Dylan Dodd a spot start, Dodd would be on regular rest for Tuesday.

¡°We¡¯ve got a big hole to fill, and it¡¯s probably going to be done by a number of people,¡± Snitker said. ¡°At some point, hopefully, we get settled into that fifth spot of the rotation. So, all of these guys are in play.¡±