Jul 24, 2023 3 min read

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The National League-leading Atlanta Braves added a pair of relievers to their injury plagued bullpen Monday, acquiring right-hander Pierce Johnson from Colorado and lefty Taylor Hearn from Texas.

The Braves have baseball’s best record (64-34) and a big lead in the NL East, but they have been hit hard by injuries – especially on their pitching staff.

Relievers Nick Anderson (right shoulder strain), Dylan Lee (left shoulder inflammation) and Jesse Chavez (bruised left shin) are all on the 60-day injured list. Lefty A.J. Minter is also out with shoulder inflammation, though he is set to begin a minor-league rehab stint Tuesday and could rejoin the team by next week’s trade deadline.

The Braves gave up pitching prospects Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon to land the 32-year-old Johnson, who began the season as the Rockies closer. He has 13 saves but was removed from that role in early June while saddled with a 7.50 ERA through 24 innings.

Interleague

Baltimore 3, Philadelphia 2: Colton Cowser hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning after helping to throw out the potential go-ahead run in the eighth to lift the surging Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg went deep for the AL-East leading Orioles, who have won 13 of 16 games. Baltimore is 2 1/2 games ahead of the idle Tampa Bay.

Detroit 5, San Francisco 1: Tarik Skubal struck out nine while recording his first victory in over a year and the Detroit Tigers handed the San Francisco Giants their season-worst sixth consecutive loss, 5-1.

Skubal (1-1), who was making his fourth start of the year, held the Giants scoreless on two hits in five innings in a game that was a makeup of an April 16 postponement. His previous victory came against Oakland on July 21 last season. He underwent flexor tendon surgery in August.

American League

Kansas City 5, Cleveland 3: Salvador Perez became the 10th player in major league history to hit 200 homers as a catcher and Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run in six innings, lifting the Kansas City Royals to a 5-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

Perez hit a two-run shot in the sixth off Logan Allen (4-3) to put Kansas City ahead 4-0. He has 240 homers overall in 12 seasons. Hall of Famer Mike Piazza holds the big league record for homers as a catcher with 396.

Guardians’ Bieber on 60-day IL: Guardians ace Shane Bieber, who has not pitched since July 9 because of right elbow inflammation, was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday in a procedural move.

Manager Terry Francona said the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner did not experience a setback while rehabilitating in Cleveland, but is not on track to return until mid-September.

“Shane is actually self-reporting that he’s doing great, which we love hearing,” Francona said. “But when you do the math, it’s going to be another six days until he throws, then three weeks after that until he gets back on the mound. That’s six weeks right there.”