With 7 games left in a 13-game stretch, Braves pitching is in good shape

“Six games into it, I think it’s best-case scenario, for the most part. We still got a ways to go. We got seven more to go. It’s a tough stretch to open the season with, but we’re in good shape heading west.”

All told, the Braves’ top four starters — Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder — have totaled 29 innings and allowed just five earned runs. The team went 4-1 during the first week with one of those pitchers starting.

And even Tuesday, a game the Braves lost 5-2 to the Athletics, starter José Suarez (essentially replacing injured Spencer Strider in the rotation) wasn’t terrible in his 3⅔ innings in which he allowed four earned runs. His teammates didn’t exactly pick him up by going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base.

Pérez wound up saving the day in some respects Tuesday by throwing 4⅓ scoreless innings.

“What (Pérez) did (Tuesday) doesn’t really get talked about enough. When you can keep guys from running out of the bullpen consecutively, especially after a short start — running through, potentially, six arms — that’s big time,” Sale said. “Hat’s off to him because he was just kinda waiting around for a call. You get a call and you get thrown right in there, and it was just zero after zero. That was bigger than guys are probably giving him credit for.”

Because of Pérez, and because Sale went six innings Wednesday, the Braves are in good shape ahead of starting a four-game series Thursday in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. López is scheduled to start the opener, followed by Holmes on Friday and Elder on Saturday.

Weiss will have a decision to make Sunday as to whether to start Suarez or Pérez.

“We’ll see how this all plays out,” he said before Tuesday’s game. “We’re gonna reshuffle the deck at times when we need to. (Pérez) will be a part of that.”

Said Pérez: “It doesn’t matter if it’s from the bullpen or I have to start the game. Just anytime when they give me a chance to pitch, I just want to go out there and do my job and help the team to win.”

The Braves used closer Raisel Iglesias and setup men Robert Suarez and Dylan Lee for an inning each during Wednesday’s win. Aaron Bummer, Joel Payamps, Tyler Kinley and Osvaldo Bido (whom Weiss said could be a long-relief option) have all thrown less than two innings.

All those names will likely pop up in a box score over the next seven days as the Braves try to maneuver their way through four games with the Diamondbacks and three more in Anaheim, California, against the Angels.

Of course, how much the bullpen has to work will depend on the Braves’ starters, who lead the National League with a 2.48 ERA.

“Let’s not hang our hat on it yet. We’re one week in,” Sale said. “But we’ll take it, for sure. We wanna build off of that. We don’t wanna get lackadaisical and just think that’s how it’s gonna be because this is baseball. We know how it can go. But to be able to get off on the right foot is huge.”