Fuentes falters, finishes strong in return to Braves

WASHINGTON — Didier Fuentes’ return to the big leagues wasn’t an overwhelming success, but it wasn’t a complete disaster, either.

The 20-year-old Colombian, called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, got the start at Nationals Park against the Nationals in what would become an 8-6 Braves win. Fuentes allowed four runs in a battle of a first inning before completing his night with two scoreless innings.

“Obviously the first inning didn’t go as we wanted it to, but we were able to make some adjustments and keep going a little bit,” Fuentes said via team interpreter Franco García. “I would have really liked to have gone longer and spared the bullpen from having to pick up those innings. But unfortunately I just felt like I ran out of pitches.”

Manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday that the Braves would, “probably need a fresh arm,” for Wednesday’s game, and that arm turned out to be Fuentes. If nothing else, a fresh Fuentes, who hadn’t pitched since April 14, gave his team three innings of work, but the plan didn’t exactly go according to the script.

Martín Pérez, originally scheduled to start Wednesday and pushed back to Thursday, was called upon to relieve Fuentes and also threw three innings. He gave up a pair of solo homers while striking out four.

Pérez said he was told hours before the game he may have to pitch in relief should Fuentes not be able to make it deep into the game. But he sensed that Tuesday while watching the Braves use relievers for eight innings in an 11-4 loss that his name might be called Wednesday.

“I have no ego, man. I’m just here for the team. If you’re looking to do something out there and (for me) to do my job and help the team to win, I’m going to be available,” Pérez said. “At the end, man, it’s what kind of teammate can you (be) for the team? Because this is a good team and I think we are running this together.”

When the top of the first had ended, and having already been given a 1-0 lead, Fuentes ran to the grass in front of the mound to retrieve the ball so he could get to work.

The work quickly became tough. James Wood rolled a check-swing single up the third base line for an infield hit and Luis Garcia Jr. smacked a single to left. Fuentes was undeterred — for the moment — and got Brady House looking on three straight fastballs and CJ Abrams to strike out by chasing a slider.

Daylen Lile worked a full count before crushing the eighth pitch of his at-bat, a 407-foot shot to right that puts the Nats in front 3-1.

More bad luck befell Fuentes when Jacob Young’s slow chopper toward a charging Austin Riley at third took a wonky bounce allowing Young to reach. There was no luck involved, however, in Jorbit Vivas’ long, hard-hit double that hit the right field wall on one hop and put the Nationals ahead 4-1.

The Braves picked up Fuentes with three runs in the second, which clearly seemed to relax the kid when he retook the mound. His second inning included a one-out walk to Wood, but nothing more. Fuentes also fanned two more hitters in the inning.

Fuentes suddenly had himself the lead going into the third after Michael Harris II hit his second homer of the night making it a 5-4 ballgame. But then Fuentes’ defense let him down.

Mauricio Dubón tried to olé a sharp grounder hit up the middle that went into center field for a hit. And after Young nearly took Fuentes’ head off with a one-out single, Ozzie Albies booted a ground ball at second to load the bases.

Fuentes finished the inning unscathed with two more strikeouts. His pitch count, however, rested at 74 — and that would be all that was asked of him on this night.

After the game, Fuentes was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett.

“We saw this coming. We had already told (Pérez) that ‘Dee Dee’ was going to start tonight, and I said, ‘In the one-a-million chance we need you to have the bullpen (Wednesday) night, you’re going to be available.’ What changed everything was the one-inning start last night. After we had already talked about this scenario. I didn’t want to say, ‘Oh, no, Martín, you’re going to start again.’

“We were a couple days out in front of it and covered the different scenarios. We talked about it, we just didn’t want to yo-yo Martín.”

Three homers part of Braves’ win

While Weiss and Co. were shuffling the pitching deck of cards, the Braves offense continued to hum right along.

Drake Baldwin’s solo home run in the top of the first, a ball rocketed into the seats in right, put the Braves ahead 1-0. The Braves (17-8) have scored first in 15 of 25 games this season.

With the Braves down 4-1 in the top of the second, Harris hit a 414-foot bomb into the second deck in right, a two-run shot. Ronald Acuña Jr. tied the game later in the inning with a sacrifice fly to right.

Harris hit his second homer, a 394-footer into the Braves’ bullpen in left in the third to put the Braves up 5-4.