Martín Pérez's Seven Shutout Innings Steal Show for Braves in Rays Finale

With the Braves' offense scuffling, the veteran left-hander delivered the one thing his team needed most: seven shutout innings.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Martin Perez goes seven shutout innings, allowing just for hits to salvage finale vs Rays. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On a day when the Tampa Bay Rays could have completed a sweep of the Atlanta Braves and clinched a postseason berth with a win, Martín Pérez turned in one of his best starts of the season to spoil their plans.

Pérez went seven shutout innings, surrendering just four hits and two walks to the vaunted Rays offense while striking out four. Tampa Bay picked up three of those four hits in the first inning, but Pérez settled in from there, not allowing another baserunner until the fifth. He was locked in a pitcher's duel all day with Tampa Bay's Nick Martínez, who countered with 6.1 innings of two-hit, shutout ball of his own.

Neither starter factored into the decision, as the game stayed scoreless until the eighth inning, when the Braves broke through for three runs on a pair of RBI singles from Austin Riley and Ha-Seong Kim. Víctor Mesa Jr. got the Rays on the board with a solo homer in the ninth, but Atlanta salvaged the finale at home, 3-1.

Riley for the lead!#LocalFordDealer pic.twitter.com/yl4eYrVdT3

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 10, 2026

Pérez showed up exactly when the Braves needed him most, and it's the latest chapter in what's become an excellent stretch for the veteran left-hander. He's coming off a dominant August in which he posted a 1.76 ERA across six starts, tallying 22 strikeouts to just 13 walks and holding opposing hitters to a .207 average. Zoom out further, and the numbers are just as impressive: over his last eight starts, Pérez has put together a 2.18 ERA across 41.1 innings.

LHP Martín Pérez has pitched to a 0.28 ERA across his last six home starts, the lowest mark by a Brave in such a span since earned runs became official in 1912.

Courtesy of @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/dwyRCT1EwU

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 10, 2026

With the Braves' offense scuffling in recent days, the veteran gave his team exactly what it needed — efficiency, reliability, and scoreless innings. The shutout brought Pérez's season ERA down to 3.08, second among Braves starters in 2026, behind only Chris Sale.

Just like Sale and Grant Holmes, the Braves are going to need Martín Pérez to keep bringing his best stuff to the mound if they want to finish strong heading into the postseason.

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