Lopez silences Braves in rematch
ATLANTA
Pablo Lopez’s opportunity for redemption arrived on Thursday, and he wasn’t going to take it for granted.
It was at this ballpark, three starts and 15 days ago, that Lopez took the mound and had the worst start of his three-year career in Major League Baseball.
The Atlanta Braves shelled him for seven runs over 12⁄3 innings that day. He gave up four hits and walked four more to set the stage for one of the worst losses in Marlins’ history, a 29-9 defeat at Truist Park.
Lopez would not allow the Braves to have a repeat performance.
The 24-year-old righty shut down one of the hottest offenses in baseball for five scoreless innings, holding Atlanta to two hits and two walks while striking out six. He threw 84 pitches, 50 of which went for strikes.
All this after waiting out a pregame delay of more than 90 minutes due to inclement weather and playing as rain poured down throughout the game.
In the three games since the first start at Truist Park on Sept. 9, Lopez has gone on to give up just three earned runs over 171⁄3 innings (a 1.56 ERA) while striking out 19 batters against five walks.
“I thought it was impressive on his part,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said pregame. “That was a tough outing he had, but to his credit, just going back and making sure his mentality was right for the next game, which is was. Pablo, you know he’s going to be doing his work. You know he’s going to be prepared. The fact that he’s able to put a game behind him is a good sign for him because that’s what you have to do in this game. He’s bounced back. You feel good when he’s on the mound.”
And, right now, Mattingly feels good when Chad Wallach is catching Lopez.
Wallach has caught each of Lopez’s starts since the shelling at Truist Park two weeks ago, and the results have benefited Lopez.
For comparison, Lopez had a 2.08 ERA with 20 strikeouts against one walk over 171⁄3 innings in three starts with Francisco Cervelli.
Meanwhile, Lopez’s four games with Jorge Alfaro behind the plate, which includes the first Truist Park game, have resulted in a 7.13 ERA with 16 strikeouts against eight walks over 172⁄3 innings.
Even if you take the first road game with the Braves out of the equation, Lopez still has a 3.94 ERA, 14 strikeouts and four walks in his other starts with Alfaro.
(Ryan Lavarnway also caught one of Lopez’s games. Lopez gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts over five innings against the Mets that day).
QUICK HITS
Jesus Aguilar’s firstinning single extended his hitting streak to five consecutive games.
The Marlins opened scoring in the sixth inning when Wallach’s two-out
RBI single scored Brian Anderson. It marked the third time over the fourgame series that Miami took the first lead. Jon Berti followed up on the next at-bat with a two-run double, his third hit of the game.