Pérez recovers from 1st inning stumble to deliver solid start in Braves' loss

MINNEAPOLIS -- Following a 51-minute weather delay at Target Field, the Braves found themselves playing catch-up before the home half of the first inning even came to a close.

Entering Monday night’s series opener riding an 18-inning scoreless streak, veteran left-hander Martín Pérez saw his dominant stretch come to a sudden halt during a grueling 34-pitch opening frame. The early four-run deficit created a margin the Braves' offense couldn't bridge, ultimately resulting in a 4-2 loss to the Twins.

Pérez struggled to find his release point out of the gate, issuing back-to-back walks to Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers after allowing a lead-off double to Luke Keaschall. The Twins capitalized on the traffic, breaking open the game with a ground-rule double down the right-field line from Josh Bell, followed by consecutive RBI singles from Royce Lewis and Kody Clemens to quickly build a four-run cushion.

"They don't chase a lot," Pérez said. "I was looking to see if they would start chasing my changeup, and they didn't swing at it. They're a really good team. After the first inning, I started throwing more four-seamers and two-seamers down and away, got back to my plan, and was able to go into the fifth to hold the game."

Despite the rough start, Pérez managed to regain control over his final four frames. The southpaw reset over the middle innings, yielding no further runs. Pérez surrendered four earned runs on nine hits over five innings, walking two and striking out three on 82 pitches -- a recovery that saved crucial innings for the bullpen.

“Tough first [inning] -- didn't have his typical command," Braves manager Walt Weiss said. "I think he started leaning on the two-seamer after that and got through five, which was nice considering that first inning."

When asked how valuable Pérez’s veteran savvy was in navigating those early struggles, Weiss pointed directly to his pitcher's poise.

"That's the difference, right?" Weiss said. "I mean, sometimes with a young pitcher, you go out there and that turns into a meltdown. But Martín can pull it together, make some adjustments, and get through five."

Atlanta's bullpen mirrored that stability. Victor Mederos and Tyler Kinley combined to keep Minnesota off the board before handing the ball to Ray Kerr, who was making his long-awaited return to a Major League mound after missing nearly two full seasons following his recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2024.

Kerr retired Kody Clemens to close out the seventh, but faced his real test in the eighth. After hitting a batter, a single and a throwing error loaded the bases with nobody out, Kerr dug in against the top of Minnesota's lineup. He induced back-to-back popouts from Keaschall and Buxton before getting Jeffers to ground out to second, escaping the self-inflicted jam unscathed.

"Since the first time I got here, I could barely sleep because I was thinking about pitching on the mound again -- the adrenaline, the hype, being around the crowd," Kerr said. "In the eighth, believe it or not, I wasn't stressed. I just remembered, 'Hey, you have a dog inside of you and you're gonna let him out. This is the time to do it.' I took a deep breath and locked it in."

"Ray did a nice job," Weiss added. "Got himself in trouble, but to get out of there with nothing was impressive. Basically loaded, nobody out, and he gets the one, two, and three hitters out to get out of the inning. Good for him."

The Braves' offense mounted its primary threat in the top of the fifth inning off Twins starter Bailey Ober. Austin Riley set the table with a sharp single to left, and Drake Baldwin doubled down the right-field line to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Ronald Acuña Jr. followed with a two-run single to left, driving home Riley and Baldwin to cut the deficit to two runs.

However, Minnesota’s relief corps managed to extinguish any further momentum. Twins pitching limited Atlanta to 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners on base, including in the top of the eighth when Matt Olson was left at third base following a two-out double.

As the Braves turn their attention to Tuesday night, Pérez made it clear the clubhouse is already moving on.

"We only scored two tonight, but let's start again," Pérez said. "We've got another game tomorrow, and we'll play better tomorrow."