In search of their major league-leading 40th win, the visiting Atlanta Braves will look to post another series win on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.
Since being shut out 8-0 by the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, Atlanta has combined to score 18 runs across its past two games, including an 8-3 victory over the Reds in the series opener on Friday. They are 16-2-1 in series on the season.
Spearheading the charge has been a resurgent Michael Harris II. Following an inconsistent 2025 campaign, the Braves’ center fielder is batting .308 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs. Harris is 9-for-18 with two homers and seven runs driven in across the past four games.
“He’s just maturing as a player,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “He’s still only 25 years old. I just think you’re seeing that process happen before our eyes. He’s becoming a more mature baseball player. There’s a lot of wisdom that you gain playing in this league every day for several years like he has already. He’s just having a great year for us.”
Veteran left-hander Martin Perez (2-3, 2.70 ERA) will make his 12th appearance (eighth start) of the season for Atlanta on Saturday. The 35-year-old tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run, five-hit ball on Sunday in a 2-1 home loss to the Washington Nationals.
In his 15th season in the majors, Perez has filled in any role asked of him by Weiss. Perez, who was designated for assignment by the club on April 12 and re-signed three days later, has a 2.89 ERA in seven starts for the Braves.
“I can’t talk about him enough,” Weiss said of Perez. “He’s performed well in a variety of roles. He’s been a great pro for us.”
In two career appearances against the Reds, Perez is 1-0, combining to throw 13 scoreless innings across a pair of starts.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, has lost back-to-back games to see its struggles in May prolonged. The Reds are 9-16 this month after finishing April nine games above .500.
Brady Singer (2-4, 6.26) will try to snap a woeful stretch on the mound as he returns to the fray for Cincinnati. Singer is 0-3 with an 8.47 ERA in four starts in May. On May 17, he allowed five runs on seven hits across four innings in a 10-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The struggling right-hander will return to the rotation after seeing his start skipped last time through.
“It’s baseball. It’ll punch you right in the gut more times than not,” Singer said of his disappointing month. “It’s obviously tough, but there’s a lot of season left. I’m excited for the next one and the rest of the season.”
The former first round pick is 16-16 with a 4.51 ERA in 42 starts since being traded to Cincinnati by the Kansas City Royals in November 2024 for infielder Jonathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer.
Singer has posted a 1-3 record and a 5.48 ERA in four career starts against the Braves.
The Reds will host Singer’s former team, the Royals, for three games beginning Monday before traveling to St. Louis for a three-game series with the Cardinals, a National League Central division rival.
–Field Level Media
