ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves’ offensive woes continued Monday in a 4-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park. Here are five takeaways from Monday:
1. If one is tired of seeing the Braves’ offense struggle, imagine how the players themselves feel. It was another quiet outing, this time against Reds All-Star ace Hunter Greene, who held the Braves scoreless over seven innings. They managed three hits in the game. “Hunter Greene, you watch this kid mature over the past few years into what everybody thought he would be,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s a really good-looking starter.” 2. Second baseman Nacho Alvarez made his major-league debut, batting second. The 21-year-old went 0 for 4 with a strikeout. In his first at-bat, Greene made a nice behind-the-back snag on Alvarez’s liner that resulted in an out. In his third at-bat, Noelvi Marte made a tremendous play at third base on a 99.8-mph grounder and fired to first for the out.
“It wasn’t the result I wanted, but I went out there and had some fun,” Alvarez said. “That’s all I can control, honestly. I put some good swings on Greene and it just didn’t go my way.” Alvarez said of Greene: “I didn’t feel overpowered. He got me today. He’s an All-Star. He literally pitched in the All-Star game. But I feel like I wasn’t overmatched, so that’s a positive.” 3. Starter Reynaldo Lopez allowed four runs on seven hits in six frames. Since pitching six scoreless innings against the Phillies on July 7, Lopez has surrendered seven runs on 18 hits in his last two outings (12 innings).
The thought will naturally shift to fatigue. Lopez is a converted reliever who hadn’t experienced a full season’s workload since 2019. The Braves have managed him carefully, spacing out his outings, and that helped him earn an All-Star nod for his brilliant first half. Lopez has logged 101-2/3 innings after not covering more than 66 innings in any season from 2020 through 2023. But Lopez said he hasn’t felt any different. “I’ve felt good this whole season,” Lopez said through team interpreter Franco Garcia. “I haven’t felt like there’s been stress or fatigue on my arm. Ultimately, I’m happy that I was happy I at least covered the six innings. That’s always a big objective for me, to not tax the bullpen and be able to get through the six innings and give the team a chance.”
