Lopez (2-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings. Lopez struck out the side to begin his night en route to tying his season-high in strikeouts. He pitched well overall, but there was not much he could do with Atlanta not scoring until the eighth inning. His one costly mistake came in the third after allowing a two-run blast to Jorge Polanco and the Mariners would tack on a third run in the fourth, which proved to be the deciding run in the game. Tuesday was the first time Lopez had failed to pitch at least six innings and surrender more than a run. He's now given up a home run in back-to-back outings. Still, the 30-year-old has been nothing short of spectacular through the first month, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB in 30 innings. He currently lines up for a meeting with the Red Sox early next week.
Heavy on Braves
Atlanta Braves news, rumors, and information.
Latest Braves News Alerts
Lopez (2-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings. Lopez struck out the side to begin his night en route to tying his season-high in strikeouts. He pitched well overall, but there was not much he could do with Atlanta not scoring until the eighth inning. His one costly mistake came in the third after allowing a two-run blast to Jorge Polanco and the Mariners would tack on a third run in the fourth, which proved to be the deciding run in the game. Tuesday was the first time Lopez had failed to pitch at least six innings and surrender more than a run. He's now given up a home run in back-to-back outings. Still, the 30-year-old has been nothing short of spectacular through the first month, posting a 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB in 30 innings. He currently lines up for a meeting with the Red Sox early next week.
Smith-Shawver topped 99 mph with three fastballs during his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. The 21-year-old right-hander is still learning the nuances of pitching after mostly playing quarterback in high school, so it's not surprisingly that Smith-Shawver is unlocking more velocity. He struck out a season-high seven batters in five innings for Gwinnett on Wednesday, and while Atlanta is limiting his workload by only having him pitch once a week rather than on a regular five-day schedule, he still figures to be an option for the big-league rotation at some point in 2024. After a couple shaky outings to begin the year at Triple-A, he's given up four runs with a 10:4 K:BB over his last 9.2 innings.
Acuna went 1-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases Monday in a loss to the Mariners. Acuna's wheels were key in the production of Atlanta's only run, as the star outfielder began the seventh inning by reaching on an infield single, subsequently stole both second and third base, and came around to score on an Ozzie Albies double. Acuna also struck out three times in the contest, and he's now fanned multiple times in three straight games, but fantasy managers are likely to mostly ignore that as long as he continues to run wild on the basepaths. Acuna began the campaign with just one steal through his first nine games, but he's since racked up 12 steals over his subsequent 18 contests.
Fried pitched six scoreless and hitless innings against Seattle on Monday, walking two batters and striking out seven in a no-decision. Fried was dominant in the outing, racking up 15 swinging strikes and allowing just two baserunners, both of whom reached via walk. However, he didn't get a chance to try to extend his no-hit bid beyond the sixth frame because he needed 100 pitches just to get that deep. Still, he was in line for the victory until A.J. Minter gave up a walk-off homer to Mitch Garver in the ninth frame. Fried began the campaign with two poor starts but has turned things around since, tossing three quality starts among his past four outings. He hasn't given up any runs across 15 frames over his past two starts.
Minter (5-1) picked up the win in Sunday's victory over the Guardians, giving up one hit in a scoreless 10th inning. The 30-year-old southpaw has already tied his career high in wins, needing only 14 appearances to do it -- he had five wins in 75 appearances in 2022. Minter has been brilliant in his high-leverage role to begin the season, posting a 1.32 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 15:1 K:BB through 13.2 innings while adding three holds to his ledger.
Riley posted an exit velocity over 100 mph on three different balls Saturday but failed to get a hit on any of them, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. The third baseman did collect two hits Sunday, including a walk-off single in the 10th inning, but for the most part Riley hasn't been getting results of late -- he hasn't homered in 18 straight games, slashing .222/.317/.319 over that stretch with five doubles, a triple and six RBI. Given the way he's swinging the bat, however, it seems only a matter of time before the 27-year-old heats up. Advanced metrics back up the idea that Riley's lack of production is mainly due to bad luck -- he sits in the 90th percentile in barrel rate on the season, right in line with his 2023 (89th percentile) and 2022 (96th percentile) campaigns.
Olson hasn't hit a home run in 18 straight games, slashing .167/.291/.242 over that stretch with three doubles, one triple and seven RBI, but he remains among the league leaders in key hitting metrics, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. Despite the first baseman's lack of production in April, Olson sits in the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity on the season, numbers comparable to what he posted during his career-best 2023 campaign. It seems only a matter of time before the 30-year-old gets dialed in and begins racking up hits and homers.
Elder didn't factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks against the Guardians. He struck out two. Elder came back to earth after a dominant 2024 debut where he held the Marlins scoreless in 6.2 innings. He walked at least four batters for the ninth time in 42 career appearances but was able to keep Cleveland from notching a single extra-base hit. Elder is tentatively scheduled for a start against the Dodgers in LA on Saturday.
Unlock the latest Atlanta Braves news — direct to your inbox.
More From Heavy on Braves
-
MLB RBI Leader Wants to Finish Career With Atlanta Braves
Designated hitter and MLB RBI leader Marcell Ozuna has expressed his desire to sign another multi-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.
-
Six-Time Division Champ Braves Vulnerable in Eyes of Rival Executive
-
Braves Predicted to Add Projected $90 Million Lefty Ace in Blockbuster Trade
-
Braves Make Final Decision on SP Spencer Strider
-
Braves Floated as Trade Destination for Rival’s Former All-Star Starting Pitcher
-
‘Zero Chance’ Braves Sign Ex-Cy Young Winner to Replace Spencer Strider: Reporter
The Athletic's David O'Brien argued there's "zero chance" the Atlanta Braves sign Trevor Bauer to replace Spencer Strider.
-
Braves Recall RHP After Placing Spencer Strider on Injured List
-
Braves’ Spencer Strider to Undergo MRI on Elbow Following Discomfort
-
Braves Named Potential Landing Spot for Gold Glove Infielder
-
Braves Have Advantage Few Other MLB Teams Possess
-
Atlanta Braves Provide Injury Update on Ronald Acuña Jr.
The Atlanta Braves have provided an update in regards to the knee injury of reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.