Braves starter Reynaldo López to be placed on IL after being a late scratch

ATLANTA — Braves starter Reynaldo López will be placed on the injured list after he was scratched with left knee inflammation Saturday before his scheduled start against the Nationals, Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

The Braves made the announcement López was unable to pitch 35 minutes before the game. The right-hander was injured during his warm-up routine.

“I don't know how serious it is, but when you get scratched from the start, that's pretty much always going to be an IL,” Weiss said after the Braves' 8-3 victory over the Nationals.

López (3-1, 3.79 ERA) is coming off a strong start in Baltimore on July 26, when he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a game the Braves eventually won in 11 innings. López started the season in the rotation, was moved to the bullpen and made 13 appearances, and returned to the rotation on June 26, where he has made six starts.

Martín Pérez was scheduled to pitch for the Braves on Sunday, but he stepped up when López went down and allowed just one hit and no runs in seven innings.

The Braves have won the first three games of the four-game series against the Nationals.