Reynaldo Lopez's return to Atlanta rotation could not have gone better for the Braves

The Atlanta Braves are on their back foot, locked in a heated battle for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. The injuries have piled up to a concerning height, with Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña, and Jorge Soler all absent from the lineup in Tuesday's matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies.

There was a silver lining, though. As Riley joined the IL for the next 6-to-8 weeks, All-Star ace Reynaldo Lopez made his triumphant return. After spending a couple weeks on the IL with forearm inflammation, there was uncertainty about how Lopez would look. The 30-year-old hasn't pitched this many innings since 2019, so durability is an ongoing concern.

Lopez's performance, however, did not feature a speck of rust. In fact, it ranks among his best outings of the campaign, which is no small feat. In the mold of a silent assassin, Lopez has quietly been one of the league's best pitchers this season. Workload limitations down the stretch will probably prevent Lopez from truly challenging teammate Chris Sale for the Cy Young award, but Lopez ranks fifth among MLB pitchers in wins above replacement (4.2).

He was electric in five innings of one-run work on Tuesday, posting 10 strikeouts compared to five hits. More impressive, the righty struck out Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber thrice — each. Six of his 10 strikeouts came against Philadelphia's top left-handed hitters. Not shabby in the least.

Reynaldo Lopez dominates Phillies in return to Braves rotation

The Braves took the first game of a pivotal series against Philadelphia. The win moves Atlanta within six games of first place in the NL East. Philadelphia is now tied for second in the National League, a full game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Mets also lost on Tuesday, so the Braves cushioned their Wild Card lead in the process.

Six games is not a margin the Phillies can feel good about. There are still 37 games on the schedule. The Braves are just riddled with crippling injuries, but there is a real window of opportunity here. Even in their diminished state, the Braves' roster features one of the best pitching staffs in baseball — including an All-Star trio in Sale, Lopez, and Max Fried — and several top-line hitters. He won't win MVP or anything, but Marcell Ozuna has put together one of the best DH campaigns in recent memory. We'd be talking about it more if not for Shohei Ohtani's masterclass on the opposite coast.

Philadelphia has been in a rut since the All-Star break. That is the benefit of being so dominant early in the season, as the Phillies still maintain a healthy lead in the division. A couple more Braves victories to round out this series would put Philadelphia's lead in true peril, though. Philadelphia hasn't needed a buy week for recent postseason runs, but the Phils have benefited from positive momentum each of the last two Octobers. We don't really know what to expect if Philadelphia limps across the finish line to secure a second or third seed, much less a Wild Card spot.

As for Atlanta, now is the perfect time to mount a sustained run. We will see if this team is capable of it — a lot will rest on the performances of Ozuna, Matt Olson, and the pitching staff — but Atlanta is still positioned to play spoiler in the playoffs. Even in the middle of the most frustrating Braves season in years, hope remains.