Braves Pitching Keeps Cruising With Win Over Phillies

Once again, the Atlanta Braves' pitching staff didn’t take its foot off the gas for a second. They picked up their fourth shutout of the season, leading the way to a 9-0 win over the rival Philadelphia Phillies. 

They improved to 13-7 on the year and lead the National League East by four games. Through 20 games last year, they had the opposite record of 7-13, and were already six and a half games back from first. A lot can change from one season to the next. 

These four shutouts now lead all of Major League Baseball, and it was another game where they needed just two pitchers to get the job done. With the shutout, the Braves lowered their team ERA to a best-in-baseball 2.78. They’re the only team with an ERA under 3.00 as of the publication of the article. 

Martín Pérez was back on the mound after a chaotic week, during which his future spent some time in limbo. Following his performance last Saturday, he was designated for assignment. While the Braves outrighted him to Triple-A, he chose to elect free agency. 

That time away from the organization was brief. He re-signed the following day, and he was penciled in as the starter for Friday before he was even officially put back on the active roster. 

Manager Walt Weiss said back on Sunday that he hoped to see Pérez back with the Braves soon. It wasn’t much of a wait, and he made his return worth every bit of uncertainty. 

He pitched six scoreless innings for the Braves, and needing just 94 pitches despite a 29-pitch first inning. The Phillies loaded the bases in the first, but he was able to strand them. 

He beaned a couple of batters, and he even allowed a triple in the bottom of the third inning to Bryce Harper. It wasn’t the prettiest outing, but he did the most important part of his job, and that was to get outs and keep the opponent off the board. 

Among the rotation arms, Pérez has the lowest WHIP (0.93) and the second-lowest batting average against (.188) behind Grant Holmes. He and Chris Sale are tied for the fewest walks (six) among starters on the team. 

The Braves' rotation leads the majors with a 2.68 ERA, and is one of three teams with a starting rotation with an ERA below 3.00. The only other teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates (2.94) and the Kansas City Royals (2.93). 

Once Pérez’s day was done, the initial fifth starter in the rotation, Jose Suarez, made his way to the mound to finish off the night. He gave the Braves three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk. Since he pitched the final three innings, he was given his first save of the season and the third one of his career overall. 

Another night in which the Braves only needed two starters was pivotal. They had to rotate a few arms in and out of the staff this week. First, it was Dylan Dodd in long relief, and then they gave Rolddy Muñoz and Hayden Harris spots in the bullpen. Osvaldo Bido was designated for assignment as well, following a messy outing. 

Everyone could just have an extra night to get fresh. Those who could give the team innings did exactly that and were quite effective on top of that. 

The Braves have a chance to claim another series win on Saturday. Chris Sale is on the mound for a 7:15 p.m. first pitch.