This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
We saw Braves' No. 3 prospect Didier Fuentes (MLB No. 91 prospect) make his first start of the season on Wednesday and the team’s No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie (MLB No. 79) make his MLB debut on Thursday.
So, Atlanta’s top prospect Cam Caminiti (MLB No. 59) will come up from High-A Rome to start Friday’s game against the Phillies, right?
OK, the week hasn’t spiraled that far out of control yet. But it certainly has been a wacky one ever since Reynaldo López got just three outs during a 58-pitch outing against the Nationals on Tuesday.
How unique was this outing? Well, going back to when pitch counts became an official stat in 1988, that’s the most pitches any Braves pitcher has thrown while recording just three outs in a game. The previous high was Chuck James’ 56-pitch effort against the Mets on July 30, 2006. New York’s starting pitcher that day was Tom Glavine, who recorded just three outs while throwing 50 pitches against the Phillies on May 6, 1988.
That was Glavine’s 15th career start. Things got better for him and things got better for the Braves this week once Martín Pérez unselfishly delivered three strong innings of relief after Fuentes lasted just three innings in Wednesday night’s 8-6 win at Nationals Park.
“What a pro,” manager Walt Weiss said. “He's willing to do whatever we ask him to do. I'm really glad Martín Pérez is with us. He's such a valuable piece.”
If debating who has been the Braves’ MVP through the season’s first month, Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin and the suddenly en fuego Michael Harris II (who exited Thursday’s 7-2 win with left quad tightness) will likely be at the forefront of the discussion. But if you look at each of Pérez’s five outings, you can see why he has undoubtedly been one of the teams’ most valuable pieces.
• March 31 (4 1/3 IP, 0 runs vs. A’s): After the Braves opted to start José Suarez instead of him, Pérez prevented the bullpen from being depleted on the regular season’s third day.
• April 5 at D-backs: Allowed four runs in a 10-inning loss, but provided five innings.
• April 11 vs. Guardians: Allowed one run and two hits over five innings.
• April 17 at Phillies: Was designated for assignment on April 12. Passed through waivers, opted to stick with the Braves and delivered six scoreless innings to set the tone for what became a three-game sweep in Philadelphia.
• April 22 at Nationals: Scheduled start moved from Wednesday to Thursday as the Braves shuffled their rotation to account for López’s short start and to create extra days of rest for Chris Sale and others moving forward. But once Fuentes threw 39 pitches in Wednesday’s first inning, Pérez began preparing for what was an invaluable three-inning performance.
Those three innings bridged the gap to Dylan Lee, Tyler Kinley and Robert Suarez. Those are Atlanta’s top relievers with Raisel Iglesias now on the injured list. But they were also the team’s only available relievers during Wednesday’s win.
Ritchie also helped reset the bullpen on Thursday, when he became the first Braves pitcher to complete seven-plus innings, allow two runs or fewer and record at least seven strikeouts in a MLB debut.
While Ritchie was far more effective, Fuentes deserves some credit for getting through three innings after flirting with disaster during a four-run, 39-pitch first. He helped the Braves and his confidence when he ended his 74-pitch effort by recording consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded in the third.
Fuentes’ fastball averaged 97 mph and he got a whiff with six of 10 swings against the slider. He threw his splitter (changeup) nine times. But it still seems to be a work in progress. The 20-year-old’s ability to further develop that third pitch will determine when he’s ready to stick at the Major League level.
The Braves optioned Fuentes to create a roster spot for Ritchie on Thursday. So, Fuentes wouldn’t be available to return to the Majors until May 8, unless he is replacing a pitcher placed on the 15-day or 60-day injured list.
Based on social media replies over the past few days, this is where some of you are wondering whether López is healthy enough to make his next start, which would likely come on Tuesday.
Anyhow, the 2024 All-Star hurler says his shoulder feels fine. But his stuff simply isn’t the same. His four-seam fastball has averaged 93.9 mph, down from 95.5 mph in 2024. He’s generated a 33.3 percent whiff rate with his slider. That’s down from 44.5 percent in 2024.
Maybe López is a better fit in the bullpen. Maybe he needs time to rest his surgically-repaired shoulder. But I think he’ll likely make his next scheduled start.
Unless Ritchie starts in place. Or Caminiti. I’m kidding about that last one. I think. I guess you never know. At one point Wednesday, I thought for sure C.J. Nitkowski was going to log some innings on Thursday.