Atlanta Braves’ Reynaldo López continues hot start, makes franchise history

Reynaldo López added another victory to his tally on Wednesday, while continuing his dominant start to 2024.

López took the mound in the Atlanta Braves’ first game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 5.0 deep innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out five in what turned out to be a 6-2 victory for the Braves.

While it wasn’t López’s cleanest outing — he walked four batters and saw his ERA and WHIP both increase — he’s still part of historic company halfway through the 2024 season.

López is now 6-2 with a 1.70 ERA, 1.109 WHIP, 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.1 WAR over 14 starts. He’s allowed more than two earned runs just once all year, and Atlanta is 10-3 in its last 13 outings. No other qualified MLB pitcher has an ERA below 2.00.

According to Justin Havens of Underdog Fantasy, López’s ERA is the fourth lowest of a Braves pitcher in their first 14 starts of a season since the Wild Card era began in 1994.

Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine share the record with 1.64, in 1995 and 2002, respectively. Maddux also had a 1.69 ERA over 14 starts in 1998.

Regardless, López’s strong start is the best Atlanta has had in more than two decades.

López’s star status is all the more impressive considering he spent the previous two seasons as a reliever.

The former Washington Nationals top prospect showed promise with the Chicago White Sox in 2018, posting a 3.91 ERA over 32 starts, but his ERA climbed to 5.38 in 2019 and 6.49 in 2020. From 2021 to 2023, López went 13-15 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.064 WHIP as he transitioned to the bullpen and bounced back to the Los Angeles Angels and the Cleveland Guardians.

Atlanta was able to land López a three-year, $30 million contract in November.

Considering he’s now one of the leading contenders for the National League Cy Young Award, the Braves are getting their money’s worth with López so far this season.

Before losing the end of the doubleheader on Wednesday, Atlanta had won six of its last eight games. Yet the Braves have bounced back from a shaky May and now have a 3.5-game lead in the NL Wild Card race.

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