Walt Weiss Shows Faith in Braves Rotation After Reynaldo Lopez Exits Early Again

Another early exit from a Braves starter left Walt Weiss answering the same questions Tuesday night.

Reynaldo Lopez lasted just four and one-third innings in an 8-3 loss to the Padres at Truist Park, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out six, and he has now failed to complete more than five innings in any of his last five starts.

San Diego punished the staff with power, as Manny Machado homered twice and Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a 474-foot blast that stands as the longest home run in the majors this season.

The rotation behind ace Chris Sale has been the team's clearest weakness for weeks, with the starting group posting an ERA above 5.50 since early June.

Weiss was asked directly about that group after the loss and gave his starters a public vote of confidence.

"These guys are all capable of being good Major League starters. So that's what I expect the rest of the way," Weiss said.

The manager was also asked whether reliever Didier Fuentes could move into the rotation, given his strong work out of the bullpen this season. "We haven't had any of those conversations," Weiss said. His patience echoes the approach he took during the offensive skid earlier this month, when he offered an honest take on the slump rather than assigning blame.

Atlanta still leads the National League East by three games over Philadelphia, and the contrast inside the staff is polarizing.

Sale has been brilliant, carrying a 2.06 ERA with 123 strikeouts into the week after passing 2,700 career strikeouts earlier in the homestand, while Lopez fell to 4-3 with his ERA climbing toward four after Tuesday's outing.

Opposing hitters chased his slider all night, whiffing on ten of fifteen swings against the pitch, but the fastball kept catching too much of the plate.

President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is widely expected to chase a playoff-caliber starter before the August 3 trade deadline, and nights like this one only strengthen that case.

The offense managed four hits, with rookie Jim Jarvis providing the highlight on a two-run triple, an all-too-familiar quiet night for a lineup that has leaned hard on Michael Harris II lately.

There are reasons for optimism beyond the deadline.

Martin Perez returns from the injured list to start Wednesday's game against San Diego, Ronald Acuna Jr. could rejoin the lineup at some point during this homestand, and closer Raisel Iglesias continues to anchor a late-inning relief group that remains one of the most dangerous in baseball.

The Braves play the Padres again Wednesday night at Truist Park, so these numbers will shift quickly.

Whether Weiss's faith gets rewarded may depend on what Anthopoulos does in the next two weeks.