Braves pitcher Reynaldo López made his first appearance on the mound since July 28th after being out due to forearm tightness. Tuesday’s start marked his 20th of the season and the result was a 3-1 win over the Phillies at Truist Park.
López had a season-high 10 strikeouts.
Here is what he said after the game:
Question: Reynaldo, was that as good as you could expect it with the first start back?
López: “Yeah, I didn’t expect things to go as well as they did. I would say the most important thing is the team won and at the end of the day I feel good.”
Question: How was your command so sharp tonight?
López: “Maintaining my focus on the mechanics and I think being able to go on that rehab and sort of continuing to focus on my mechanics ... and then something that helped out a lot too was the bullpens in between the rehab.”
Question: Do you feel refreshed?
López: “Yeah, I definitely felt refreshed, and I think that helped me a little tonight. More so I would say the time in between my actual outings allowed me the opportunity to fill up the tank a little bit more.”
Question: How’s your confidence with all the different pitches in your arsenal?
López: “Yeah, to be honest it feels like I’ve given up the most home runs off that changeup. So, for me tonight being able to utilize all my pitches. I’m not going to lie, the thought definitely crossed my mind, ‘Oh don’t throw the changeup here, you don’t want to give up a homer’, but then I remind myself to have that conviction to just believe in your pitches and have confidence. If they hit it, they hit it, if they don’t, they don’t.”
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