ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Nobody knew until Monday night who Atlanta’s starter would be Tuesday against the Athletics.
It came down to José Suarez and Martín Pérez, two left-handers who were not originally expected to make the team out of spring training. However, injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Spencer Strider (oblique), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and Joey Wentz (knee) significantly increased their chances.
The Braves ultimately faced a difficult decision in choosing a fifth starter.
#Braves Walt Weiss said Sunday’s starter vs. Arizona will likely come down to either Jose Suarez or Martin Perez again. He said a “3rd option could always show up.” But until then, TBD.#BravesCountry
— Aaron Schmidt (@AaronTSchmidt) April 1, 2026
After four games of excellent pitching, manager Walt Weiss selected Suarez to start Game 5. He allowed four runs over 3.2 innings. Pérez, whose contract was purchased by the Braves on Monday, entered in the fourth inning and delivered 4.1 scoreless innings in relief during a 5–2 loss to the Athletics.
Weiss said after the game that, despite both pitchers being unavailable for a couple of days, the team expects to have Suárez and Pérez on the roster by Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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“We have (Osvaldo) Bido, who can go multiple (innings),” Weiss said. “It’s nice having Chris Sale on the mound (Wednesday). We’ve got to walk that tightrope with Perez and Jose Suarez out of the picture here for a little while. I think we’ll be fine… we should be able to handle it.”
Weiss declined to name a starter for Sunday’s game. He said the team will continue evaluating its options and noted that a third option could emerge. “As we sit here today, (Suárez and Pérez) are the most likely options,” he said.
Up next
The Braves will finish their series against the Athletics before heading west for four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and three against the Los Angeles Angels.
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