The Braves’ pitching picture got a lot murkier before the postseason even begins.
Martín Pérez is headed to the injured list with lower back inflammation, a development Atlanta announced as Walt Weiss began his pregame press conference. Pérez had just thrown 79 pitches in his last start, and there wasn’t much outward sign that anything was wrong. Now his availability for October is very much in doubt.
“He felt it during that last outing on Houston. He gutted through it,” explained Weiss when mark Bowman asked him about how it all happened.
“You can imagine how frustrated he is. In his mind, he’s wanting to try to hurry up and get better and get back and he wants to be a part of it but we’re just running out of time here.”
“It’s tough for Martín. He’s obviously re-established himself after last year missing most of the year. He’s re-established himself with the year he’s had this year and we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
That’s a brutal turn for Pérez, who has put together one of the better seasons of his career. He has made 30 appearances, including 26 starts, and logged 142 innings with a 3.04 ERA, 4.31 FIP, 73 ERA- and 104 FIP-. After a long climb back, the regular season may end with him on the shelf instead of in the postseason mix.
For Atlanta, the timing matters as much as the injury itself. Pérez looked like a real candidate to start or provide a bulk role if the Braves advance beyond the Wild Card round. Instead, the staff now has to keep adjusting on the fly.
There won’t be any immediate change to the rotation for the rest of this Cincinnati series or for the regular-season finish in Miami, but the bigger issue is what happens if the Braves reach the NLDS. If the Wild Card Series goes three games, Atlanta would have to roll straight into the next round, and that could push the club toward a bullpen game.
“For the remaining games, we have things mapped out,” explained Weiss when he was further asked about the plans. “Things can change.
If we end up having to use more pitchers (for instance, tonight), then it’ll change what we do tomorrow. That’s always the case, really.”
Weiss also made clear that the Braves will have to keep sorting through their options as they go. Grant Holmes is one possibility, AJ Smith-Shawver is currently in line for a piggyback appearance once Tyler Mahle is done tonight, and JR Ritchie is another name in the mix. Atlanta’s bullpen gives them some cover, but the margin is shrinking with each new injury.
That’s the frustrating part for the Braves: Reynaldo López, Bryce Elder and now Martín Pérez are all out right before the postseason begins. The club still has enough arms to piece things together, but the preference would obviously be to add choices, not lose them.
Weiss summed up the reality of it best: the Braves will have to deal with the situation as it comes. For now, that means navigating the final games, managing the pitching staff carefully and hoping the postseason eventually gives them enough runway to get healthier.
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