The Atlanta Braves shut out the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-0, on Sunday afternoon at Truist Park in Atlanta.
Jarred Kelenic, Adam Duvall, Eli White and Matt Olson each homered for Atlanta, and right-hander Reinaldo Lopez was again dominant on the mound.
Lopez, who was also selected to the All-Star team on Sunday, pitched six innings, allowing just two hits and no runs, walking three and striking out six, a stellar performance that improved him to 7-2 with a 1.71 ERA this season.
Lopez’s success is sure to be frustrating for Chicago White Sox fans who have witnessed years of up-and-down performances. The 30-year-old Lopez pitched for the White Sox from 2017 until he was traded in 2023. He was both a starter and reliever in Chicago, going 33-44 for the South Side. He recorded four saves in 2023, but was traded to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline. He signed with the Braves last offseason and is already on the list of potential signings in the team’s history.
According to @StatsCentre:
Lowest ERA through first 16 starts of a season – franchise pitcher (since MLB scoresheet keeping began in 1913)
1.57- Dick Rudolph (1919)
1.62- Greg Maddux (1998)
1.63- Maddux (1994)
1.64- Maddux (1995)
1.71- Reinaldo Lopez (2024)
1.71- Tom Glavine (2002)
Lowest ERA through first 16 games of the season – @Braves Franchises (since MLB scoresheet tracking began in 1913):
1.57- Dick Rudolph (1919)
1.62- Greg Maddux (1998)
1.63- Maddux (1994)
1.64- Maddux (1995)
1.71- Reinaldo Lopez (2024)
1.71- Tom Glavine (2002) pic.twitter.com/uUe3qG1hlf
— Statistics Center (@StatsCentre) July 8, 2024
It will be interesting to see if Lopez can keep up this pace in the second half of the season. He has already pitched 89.2 innings this season, his most since 2019 (184.0). If the Braves are concerned about his workload, they may choose to skip him in the second half or monitor his availability.
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