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The Atlanta Braves suffered another massive blow to their postseason aspirations, as starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez was removed after just one inning in the 12-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The Braves announced that Lopez was taken out of the game due to right shoulder tightness. Details on the extent of his injury will be determined after MRI scans on Wednesday.
As expected, the Braves faithful was devastated by the news as they expressed their agony on social media.
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Meanwhile, Reynaldo Lopez tried to downplay the injury concerns when he spoke to reporters after the game.
“I didn’t really know what was happening ,” he said through team interpreter Franco García. “The first pitch went out, and I thought it was 95, and I look up and it was 89. That took me by surprise. That’s something I wasn’t expecting. I was definitely relieved when everything came back normal and good, and right now I think we’re just being overly cautious.”
“We’ll determine something tomorrow,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s checking out OK. I saw the velocities were not good, and I talked to him after and made him fess up.”
Nevertheless, Braves fans are seemingly expecting the worst, as the team has been ravaged by injuries this year. They feel their chances of reaching the playoffs have been fully compromised now.
"Cursed season strikes again," moaned one fan.
"It’s really over now," another fan remarked.
"Just when I thought we could make a push," groaned another fan.
The Braves were one of the preseason favorites to win the National League pennant, but their playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy due to injuries to key players.
"Nobody has it worse than us," one fan posted.
"We’re even more cooked," cried another fan.
"Every game I wonder who is going to make it till the end," another fan wrote.
As things stand, Reynaldo Lopez could become the latest Braves player to land on the IL.
They are missing Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies in the lineup, while their ace Spencer Strider was ruled out for the year in the opening weeks of the season.
He’s been awesome every time out: Brian Snitker on Reynaldo Lopez
Reynaldo Lopez pitched for the Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels in 2023 before signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the Atlanta Braves. Lopez had been opearting as a reliever for the past few years, but the Braves put him back into the starting rotation for the 2024 season.
The plan has worked remarkably well since Reynaldo Lopez has been one of the best pitchers in the NL this season. The 30-year-old right-hander earned his first All-Star Game selection earlier in the year. He has an 8-5 record from 24 starts with 137 strikeouts and an outstanding 2.04 ERA.
“We didn’t know, going into this, what we would get,” Braves manager Snitker said on Tuesday afternoon before the game.
“But it’s been great. He’s been awesome every time out. The ability to limit damage when he gets guys on has been unbelievable. It’s been a lot of fun watching him go.”
Following the victory on Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves are locked together with the New York Mets with a 79-66 record for the final spot in the NL Wild Card race.
