ATLANTA -- One night after producing their second double-digit run total of the season, the Braves endured their first shutout loss.
Here are three takeaways from a 6-0 loss to the Guardians that snapped Atlanta’s three-game winning streak on Saturday night at Truist Park.
Valuable contributions:
Martín Pérez hasn’t gained a decision while posting a 3.14 ERA through his first three appearances of the season. The numbers are decent, especially for a veteran who came to Spring Training to prove he could still be an effective Major League starter. But they don’t tell how valuable the 34-year-old southpaw has been.
“I’m enjoying what I’m doing, because I feel great,” said Pérez, who battled elbow and shoulder discomfort while with the White Sox last year.
Pérez paid the price for the center-cut, 0-2 fastball that José Ramírez hit into the left-field seats in Saturday’s first inning. But that solo homer accounted for the only run the Braves starter allowed over five innings. There’s not much more you can ask from a fifth starter.
How long Pérez remains in the rotation remains to be seen. Spencer Strider will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday and could be ready to come off the injured list in early May. But even if the rotation is full, the 2022 All-Star could still stick around as a reliever.
There were great preseason concerns about the Braves’ injury-depleted rotation. But the team’s starters rank sixth in the Majors with a 2.79 ERA. That number might have been better had Pérez begun the season as the fifth starter instead of José Suarez, who has since been moved to the bullpen.
Suarez allowed four earned runs over 3 2/3 innings against the A’s on March 31. This was the kind of outing that could have taxed Atlanta’s bullpen during the early part of a schedule that began with games on 13 straight days. But Pérez delivered four scoreless innings in relief that night and gained a rotation spot that he has capably handled through two starts.
“He's a veteran,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “He knows how to handle himself. He's good in the clubhouse. He's been good to have around.”
Tough assignment:
Mike Yastrzemski entered Saturday hitting .190 with a .592 OPS. This is certainly not the start he had hoped for after signing a two-year, $23 million contract in December. The plan was for him to sit against left-handed starters.
But Braves manager Walt Weiss opted to put Yastrzemski in Saturday’s lineup against Guardians southpaw Parker Messick, who scattered four hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
Why did Yaz get the start? Well, Michael Harris II was put on the paternity list on Saturday, and Eli White has been dealing with plantar fasciitis since doubling in Tuesday night’s win over the Angels. So, regular shortstop Mauricio Dubón replaced Harris in center field, and Weiss opted to play Yastrzemski in left. His only other choice would have been to give a start to Kyle Farmer, who has very limited outfield experience and none since 2023.
Harris will return to Atlanta’s lineup at some point before Tuesday. As for Yastrzemski, he’ll have a chance to get going when he’s back in left field on Sunday, when the Guardians will start right-hander Tanner Bibee.
Early ABS results:
Braves hitters haven’t had much success with their ABS challenges thus far. After Ronald Acuña Jr. was unsuccessful with a challenge in Saturday’s eighth inning, the Braves had a 26.7 percent (4 of 15) success rate with their challenges. The only team whose batters had a lower success rate entering Saturday was the Brewers, who had been successful with just one of seven challenges (14 percent) from the batter’s box. Acuña has been unsuccessful with four of six challenges.
But Braves catchers have gained value from this new system. Jonah Heim was successful with three of four challenges Saturday and now has a 61.5 (8 of 13) percent success rate. Drake Baldwin has been successful with just two of the five challenges he’s made from behind the plate for the Braves.