The Atlanta Braves won a much-needed game last night 3-1 over the Philadelphia Phillies. The win cut their deficit in the NL East to six games, and it extended their lead in the NL Wild Card race over the Mets to 2.5 games. Making the playoffs in some form or fashion is all that matters, but the underlying story of last night’s game was the return of Reynaldo Lopez, who exemplified exactly why this Braves team is still dangerous.
A litany of injuries has the Braves lineup looking like a shell of the one that took the field on Opening Day. The reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. is out for the season. Austin Riley recently joined him on the injured list with a fractured wrist, which is the same injury that Ozzie Albies is currently recovering from.
That’s a lot of offensive firepower sitting in street clothes, especially considering the loss of Spencer Strider, who suffered a torn UCL in just his second start of the season. But despite the loss of Strider, who was this year’s favorite to win the NL Cy Young award coming into the season, the Braves pitching staff has been among the best in baseball from top to bottom all year.
Much of that is due to the offseason acquisitions. Chris Sale looks to be on cruise control, headed straight to his first ever Cy Young award, and Reynaldo Lopez made the first All-Star Game of his career a little over a month ago.
There were obviously concerns of fatigue surrounding Lopez when he hit the IL with forearm tightness, but last night put those concerns to bed in a big way. The extra time off looks to be exactly what Lopez needed. His fastball velocity was back up into the high-90s, as he struck out a career-high 10 batters over just five innings.
If that’s the version of Reynaldo Lopez the Braves can expect for the rest of the season, this might be the best 1-4 of any rotation in baseball. Max Fried gives Atlanta an incredible 1-2 punch at the top with Chris Sale, and the emergence of the rookie Spencer Schwellenbach is legit. He has pitched like a star in the making for months now.
Offense has been the primary concern for the Braves all season, and the injuries have only magnified the issue. With that being said, a dominant pitching staff can carry a club for a month in October. If the Braves can find a way to make it into the dance, nobody is going to want to see Chris Sale, Max Fried, Spencer Schwellebach, and Reynaldo Lopez toe the rubber.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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