ATLANTA -- If Reynaldo López's effort during Wednesday night’s 5-1 win over the Cardinals was a sign of things to come, there might not be as much reason to be concerned about the Braves' rotation.
Ozzie Albies’s first-inning RBI double and third-inning solo homer provided sufficient support for López, who allowed just one run and two hits, needing just 69 pitches to complete five innings. This was just his second start since transitioning back to the rotation from the bullpen on Friday in San Francisco.
When López faced the Giants on Friday, he allowed just one run, despite allowing four hits, including three doubles, over three innings. His fastball averaged 93.8 mph and he got just two whiffs with his four-seamer and slider combined.
“That looked like the 2024 Lópey,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “That’s what we were hoping for. We talked about him trending in a good direction. That was really good.”
It’s safe to say that outing was nearly as impressive as this latest one. López’s fastball averaged 95.1 mph and he got a total of 12 whiffs combined with the four-seamer and slider. The Cardinals hit three balls 99.6 mph or harder during the first inning. But they hit just one more ball 88 mph or harder over the remainder of the right-hander’s outing.
“You see the swings and misses as they are happening, so you just keep going with it.” López said through an interpreter. “It definitely helps confidence.”
As López touched 96.7 during his fifth and final inning, he seemed to further distance himself from the inconsistencies he’s battled since undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery after making just one start in 2025. His struggles led the club to move him from the rotation to the bullpen one month into this season.
Given a chance to start again, López handled this latest outing like he did so many in 2024, when he posted a 1.99 ERA in 26 appearances (25 starts).
“When guys have missed a lot of time, it’s a process to get back to where they were,” Weiss said. “Lopez basically didn’t pitch last year. But we loved the trends we were seeing, and then as his pitch count started to climb [as a reliever] he became a feasible option to start. And again, that looked like 2024 to me tonight.”
López’s effort helped the Braves win for just the fifth time in their past 18 games. But more importantly, it created hope for a rotation that has been disjointed over the past few weeks. Bryce Elder’s sudden collapse, Spencer Strider’s elbow injury and Grant Holmes’ inability to complete five innings created concern and fueled the team’s struggles.
Elder will get an extended break as the Braves are going to skip his next turn. But he will have a chance to right himself over his next few starts. But if López can re-establish himself as a successful starter, he’ll help compensate for those other two recent issues.
Elder will have to try to right himself over his next few starts. But if López can re-establish himself as a successful starter, he’ll help compensate for those other two recent issues.
With López completing five innings on Wednesday, the Braves will utilize Hurston Waldrep as their starter on Thursday. Waldrep was available to come out of the bullpen if López only lasted a couple innings.
Waldrep missed most of this season’s first three months while recovering from a February procedure that removed loose bodies that had formed around his right elbow. The 24-year-old hurler walked four while completing two scoreless innings of relief in his season debut on Friday. He had a 2.88 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) for Atlanta last year.
“There were some good things on the horizon, even through this tough stretch,” Weiss said. “You look down the road and there’s some nice pieces coming back. You add Lopey to that. Now, you start to dream big again and think about certainly playing better and getting on a roll again at some point.”