Forget the trade rumors for a second. The real story is Martín Pérez stepping in at the last minute and nearly pitching a no-hitter. This wasn’t a planned masterpiece. It was a panic move that turned into a historic moment. The Braves beat the Nationals 8-3 on Saturday night, but the box score misses the real drama. Pérez wasn’t supposed to pitch until Reynaldo López got hurt just 90 minutes before the first pitch. That knee injury forced a scramble, and Pérez answered the bell with a performance for the ages.
The Pitch That Almost Was
Pérez carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, a feat no Braves pitcher had pulled off since Kent Mercker back in 1994. According to MLB.com Braves, the veteran hurler entered that final inning having thrown just 59 pitches. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced. He pitched around a pair of errors by Jim Jarvis early on and kept the Nationals’ bats silent. Brady House finally broke the silence with a two-out single to right field in the seventh. That single ended the bid, but it did not end the dominance. Pérez allowed just one hit while recording six strikeouts over seven scoreless innings.
This kind of stuff does not happen by accident. The numbers show how rare this is for the rotation right now. His effort marked just the 10th time a Braves pitcher completed seven-plus innings this year. It was the second time since May 20. Chris Sale has done it five times this season, Bryce Elder three times, and JR Ritchie once. Pérez stepped up when the team needed a starter most. The timing was tight, but the execution was flawless.
Why This Start Changes Everything
Most teams would have folded under this pressure. A late scratch usually means a bullpen game or a loss. Instead, the Braves got a gem. The blowout win combined with a great start didn’t appear on the horizon when the team announced López was scratched at 6:39 p.m. ET. The fans were worried. The roster looked thin. But Pérez proved the depth is real. He retired nine straight batters before House got the hit. He kept his count low and his location sharp.
This performance cements the idea that the Braves can win even when their stars get hurt. Matt Olson secured his fifth career 30-homer season to help the offense. Both Dominic Smith and Ronald Acuña Jr. hit solo homers. They helped the Braves claim their fourth straight win. This strengthens their lead atop the NL East standings. The team does not need to panic about the trade deadline. They have a pitcher who can step in and dominate on short notice. That is a luxury few teams possess.
JR Ritchie could serve as Atlanta’s starter in Sunday’s series finale against the Nationals. He was already scratched from his scheduled start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday. Given the game was scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. ET, he likely was told before he would have started his 30-minute pre-start throwing program. The rotation is shifting, but the results remain the same. The Braves are winning games, and they are winning them in style. Do you think Pérez should stay in the rotation even if López gets healthy? Let us know what you think in the comments.
