ATLANTA -- Martín Pérez exited Sunday’s 10-9 loss to the Mets at Truist Park with a left forearm injury that is expected to sideline him for at least a couple weeks.
Losing yet another starter to injury isn’t good for the Braves. But placing Pérez on the injured list will at least help the team address a bullpen construction issue that once again proved problematic in this latest loss.
X-rays of Pérez’s left forearm were negative, but a CT scan could still show he suffered a fracture when he was struck by Juan Soto’s 92 mph liner to begin the fifth inning. His physical pain was matched by the mental anguish Braves fans felt after Carlos Carrasco entered with a two-run deficit and allowed the Mets to score five runs in the ninth.
The Braves battled back with a six-run ninth that was highlighted by Drake Baldwin’s first career grand slam. But the rally went for naught because of the ninth-inning struggles endured by Carrasco, who has gone unclaimed each of the previous five times the Braves have designated him for assignment this year.
Pérez exited with the Braves trailing 5-3 with one out in the fifth. So, Atlanta’s bullpen was tasked with covering 14 outs the rest of the way. Tyler Kinley, Dylan Dodd and Danny Young combined to record eight of those outs. Carrasco notched three more in the eighth and then fell apart after entering the ninth facing just a two-run deficit.
“Some days, you can keep chasing games and you're equipped to do that,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “Some days you're not. We could chase it for seven innings today. That's what we did, and they did a great job keeping it into a two-run game through seven. At that point, we were out of those high-leverage bullets.”
Rookie sensation Didier Fuentes and All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias were both available for one inning. But with the Mets leading, Weiss understandably didn’t want to go with either of these high-leverage options. The problem was he didn’t have an option better than Carrasco.
Will teams occasionally deal with being short in the bullpen? Sure. But Carrasco has now played a key role in three of the 15 losses the Braves have suffered over their past 22 games. He was also used in a high-leverage situation against the White Sox on June 9 and again during a June 23 loss to the Padres. He was charged with a blown save in both of those games.
One of the reasons Weiss had limited options on Sunday was the fact the Braves have been working one man short in the bullpen throughout this week. Bryce Elder’s turn was skipped because his velocity was down in his start against the Giants last weekend. So, the Braves have been carrying six starters and seven relievers.
“If we play that game 100 more times, it's played out the same, as far as the bullpen,” Weiss said. “There's no other options right there.”
Sunday’s challenge could have actually been greater. Pérez retired just two of the first 11 batters he faced and then proceeded to retire each of the next nine. That ninth batter was Soto, whose liner left the indentation of the baseball’s seams on the southpaw’s left forearm.
“He’s been a huge part of our rotation there, and it’s just unlucky to get hit where he did,” Baldwin said. “It squared him up pretty good. “He's tough. He’'s going to work his way back. But it's tough to lose a guy like that, especially if he's going on the IL.”
Pérez has posted a 3.54 ERA in 18 appearances (81 1/3 innings) for the Braves this year. But he has a 4.85 ERA in the six starts he has made since the start of June.
The Braves could add at least two new relievers on Monday. They won’t need to add a starter. Hurston Waldrep, Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder can start against the Pirates (Tuesday-Thursday). Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Waldrep could then start during next weekend's series in St. Louis.