ATLANTA -- Robert Suarez’s first Major League appearance in more than three months quickly reintroduced him to the art of minimizing damage.
Suarez surrendered a leadoff triple and then retired the next three batters he faced while pitching the seventh inning of the Braves’ 3-2 walk-off win over the Reds on Wednesday night at Truist Park. The right-handed reliever’s appearance was the first of two he’s scheduled to make before he’s possibly placed on Atlanta’s NL Wild Card Series roster.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity the team's given me,” Suarez said, with Franco García as the interpreter. “I’m thankful for the process that went down during the rehabilitation. Thankfully, I feel good, which I think is the important thing.”
Matt McLain began the seventh by driving Suarez’s first-pitch sinker off the right-field wall. McLain scored on a Will Banfield sacrifice fly. But the return was a success for the Braves reliever, who had been sidelined since feeling right elbow discomfort after a June 19 appearance.
“His arm strength was great,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “His command was probably not pinpoint, but still pretty good. It was great to see him out there again.”
Suarez’s four-seam fastball averaged 98.6 mph, just a tick down from the 98.8 average he produced while posting a 0.56 ERA in the 31 appearances he made before being placed on the injured list.
Weiss said Suarez will likely pitch again during Saturday’s game in Miami. Before Wednesday, the reliever’s only game action since June had come via the inning he completed for Triple-A Gwinnett in a Minor League rehab game on Sunday.