Fastball

Former Chicago White Sox Hurler Now Making History For Atlanta Braves

Reynaldo Lopez, who previously struggled with the Chicago White Sox, is making history in his first season with the Atlanta Braves.

Brady Farkas

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (40) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning at Truist Park.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (40) throws against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Atlanta Braves shut out the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon 6-0 at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Jarred Kelenic, Adam Duvall, Eli White and Matt Olson each hit homers for Atlanta and right-hander Reynaldo Lopez once again dominated on the mound.

Lopez, who was also named an All-Star on Sunday, went 6.0 innings, surrendering no runs on two hits. He walked three and struck out six. With the stellar performance, he is now 7-2 on the season with a 1.71 ERA.

His success is undoubtedly frustrating for Chicago White Sox fans, who witnessed multiple years of up-and-down performances from Lopez. The 30-year-old pitched for the White Sox from 2017 until he was traded in 2023. He served as both a starter and a reliever for Chicago, going 33-44 on the South Side. He had four saves in 2023 before traded to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline. He signed with the Braves this past offseason and is already on a short list in team history.

Per @StatsCentre:

Lowest ERA through the first 16 starts of a season - Pitcher with the franchise (since MLB scoresheet tracking began in 1913):
1.57- Dick Rudolph (1919)
1.62- Greg Maddux (1998)
1.63- Maddux (1994)
1.64- Maddux (1995)
1.71- Reynaldo Lopez (2024)
1.71- Tom Glavine (2002)

It will be interesting to see if Lopez can keep up this pace through the second half of the year. He's already thrown 89.2 innings this season, which is the most he's thrown since 2019 (184.0). If the Braves are worried about his workload, they may want to skip starts or monitor his appearances in the second half.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/History