SAN FRANCISCO -- Reynaldo López received another chance to start. But Hurston Waldrep also took advantage of the chance to audition for a spot in Atlanta’s rotation.
The Braves will be among the teams vying for the top starting pitchers available before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. But for now, the top internal candidates to bolster their rotation are López and Waldrep, who combined to help Atlanta end a four-game skid with a 3-1 win over the Giants on Friday night at Oracle Park.
Matt Olson hit a key double in the fifth inning and Ozzie Albies drove in a pair of runs as the Braves won for just the fourth time in their past 14 games. But the story of the night was how the performance of López and Waldrep might influence Atlanta’s rotation construction.
López recorded one strikeout and surrendered four hits, while limiting the Giants to one run over three innings. This was the 2024 All-Star’s first start since he was moved from the rotation to the bullpen near the end of April.
Waldrep recorded four strikeouts and allowed just two hits while tossing two scoreless innings in his season debut. But the 24-year-old hurler’s command issues were visible as he issued three walks. He has spent the past few months recovering from arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies that were located around his right elbow.
Where could the Braves go from here? Well, they’re attempting to fill the rotation void created this past week when JR Ritchie (MLB Pipeline’s No. 56 prospect, Braves’ No. 2 prospect) was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Ritchie was added to the rotation earlier this month, when Spencer Strider was sidelined for at least two months with right elbow inflammation.
Chris Sale, Bryce Elder, Martin Pérez and Grant Holmes currently fill the rotation’s top four spots. Pérez has been steady, going at least five innings in 12 of his 13 starts. But to aid the bullpen, the Braves could benefit from more consistent length from both him and Holmes, who has struggled his second time through a lineup.
López was one of the game’s top starting pitchers when he posted a 1.99 ERA in 26 appearances (25 starts) for the Braves in 2024. But he battled arm trouble down the stretch that season and underwent season-ending arthroscopic right shoulder surgery during the first full week of the 2025 season.
The Braves opted to give López another chance to start after he allowed just one unearned run over three innings against the Brewers on Sunday. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.3 mph during the 58-pitch effort. This pitch averaged 95.5 mph in 2024. But it averaged just 93.8 mph on Friday.
While Lopez allowed just one run, it’s worth noting he allowed three doubles, including two in the first. He benefited from Michael Harris II’s 94-mph throw to double Willy Adames off first base in the second.
Waldrep entered in the fifth and issued a pair of walks that loaded the bases with just one out. He escaped that jam unscathed. The young hurler was also fortunate that Dylan Lee stranded the two runners he inherited in the seventh.