ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - More than 60 MLB regular season games have ended in a 0-0 tie. None have finished 0-0 since 1989.
Braves fans got a taste of what that might have been like Saturday as the Braves tied the Tigers 0-0 in a spring training game.
Pitchers' duel
The two men who took the mound to start the game figure to be a major piece of both rotations.
Reynaldo Lopez was a breakout star for the Braves in 2024, throwing a sub-2.00 ERA in 135.2 innings en route to his first All-Star appearance. The team is hoping the 31-year-old has finally turned a corner in his 10th Major League season.
He threw six innings and allowed five hits Saturday.
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Even with reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty has an argument for being the ace of the Tigers' staff. He spent half of 2024 in Detroit before being shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers and should be a solid front-end option for a team threatening to take the AL Central.
He also threw six innings, allowing three hits.
One last shot
Lopez and familiar face Bryce Elder held it down on the mound, but the Braves lineup card was filled with players looking to make one final impression before the games start to count.
Nick Allen had a subpar day considering his hot spring training. The 26-year-old went 0-4 with a strikeout. Outfielder Jarred Kelenic, Bryan de la Cruz and Matthew Batten also went hitless.
A glimpse at the future
One day after being named to Opening Day roster, top catching prospect Drake Baldwin went 0-3.
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He should fill the starting catcher role until Sean Murphy’s return from injury. Murphy suffered a fractured rib during a spring training game and could be out until mid-April.
Baldwin is currently the Braves' top prospect by most accounts, and the 62nd-ranked prospect in the league by MLB Pipeline.
Whether or not Baldwin remains on the roster after Murphy’s return remains to be seen. The Braves recently signed veteran James McCann to a minor-league deal and may bring McCann to the majors as a backup role before sending Baldwin to Triple-A Gwinnett to receive regular playing time.
Up next
Atlanta’s next Braves on Gray broadcast will be on Monday when they face the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.
The game will be the ninth of 10 games simulcast by Gray this spring.
Fans can watch the Braves on Gray in Atlanta by tuning into PeachtreeTV, Atlanta’s CW Network. Fans can also watch games on YouTube TV, over the air on Channel 17.1, and on Dish Network, DirecTV (Channel 17) and Xfinity and Spectrum (Channel 7).