Freddy Peralta RHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
4.96
133rd
WHIP
1.37
127th
K/9
8.57
103rd
BB/9
3.31
132nd
P-Score54i
FIP
–
HR/9
1.41
121st
OPS/R
–
IP
147.0
Last 5 starts
ERA
3.34
FinalFinal lineupsAL East / NL East
Tampa Bay Rays 7, Atlanta Braves 1
Final Score and Game Recap
Final score, pitching lines and standings context.
7:15 PM ET · Truist ParkGame-day snapshot Sep 8, 10:01 PM ETFinal lineups lockedCurrent 2026 season stats — updated Oct 20, 5:00 AM ET
Peralta, four homers carry Tampa Bay past Braves 7-1
The matchup followed the pregame script when Freddy Peralta gave Tampa Bay the edge, and the Rays backed him with power in a 7-1 win over the Braves on Tuesday at Truist Park.
Atlanta briefly matched Tampa Bay in the first inning, but the game turned in the third. The Rays scored three times there to take control against AJ Smith-Shawver, who was charged with four runs over 3.1 innings on five hits and two walks.
From there, Peralta kept the Braves from getting back into it. He worked six innings, allowing five hits and one run with one walk and two strikeouts, then handed the game to a bullpen that finished it cleanly. Kevin Kelly, Cole Sulser and Bryan Baker combined for three hitless innings.
Tampa Bay kept adding on. Liam Hicks, Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero and Richie Palacios all homered, and Victor Mesa Jr. added two hits and an RBI as Tampa Bay finished with 11 hits. Caminero scored twice, while Díaz and Hicks drove in two runs apiece.
Atlanta's two errors also hurt, contributing to an unearned Tampa Bay run in the sixth. After Peralta exited, Kevin Kelly, Cole Sulser and Bryan Baker closed it out with three hitless innings.
Pitching recap
| Pitcher | Team | Role | IP | H | ER | BB | K | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freddy Peralta | TB | StarterWin | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 92 |
| AJ Smith-Shawver | ATL | StarterLoss | 3.1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 81 |
Scoring by inning
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 0 |
 Atlanta Braves | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
Top hitters
Yandy Díaz2-for-5 · 1 HR · 2 RBI
Liam Hicks1-for-3 · 1 HR · 2 RBI · 1 BB
Junior Caminero2-for-3 · 1 HR · 1 RBI · 1 BB
Richie Palacios1-for-4 · 1 HR · 1 RBI · 1 BB
Victor Mesa Jr.2-for-5 · 1 RBI
Matchup at a glance
PitcherStat calculationPregame contextStarting pitchers
AJ Smith-Shawver RHP
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
7.13
216th
WHIP
1.75
202nd
K/9
7.64
128th
BB/9
5.60
205th
P-Score27i
FIP
–
HR/9
1.02
215th
OPS/R
–
IP
17.2
Last 5 starts
ERA
7.13
Peralta gives Rays the clearest edge as first-place clubs meet at Truist Park
When two division leaders with nearly identical records meet, the matchup often turns on one clear advantage. Tuesday night in Atlanta, that advantage is on the mound.
The Rays arrive at 85-58 and the Braves at 85-59, with both clubs sitting in first place in their divisions. Their season profiles are close almost everywhere. Tampa Bay owns slight edges in batting average (.260 to .248), on-base percentage (.328 to .312) and OPS (.731 to .725). Atlanta has been a little more productive in pure run output, averaging 4.62 runs per game to Tampa Bay’s 4.52, and holds a small slugging edge (.413 to .403).
The sharper contrast comes with the probable starters. Freddy Peralta’s season has hardly been spotless, but his overall line is clearly stronger than AJ Smith-Shawver’s. Peralta enters with a 4.96 ERA, 4.49 FIP and 1.37 WHIP across 147 innings. Smith-Shawver has a 7.13 ERA, 4.74 FIP and 1.75 WHIP in 17.2 innings over four starts. Tampa Bay’s right-hander also has the better strikeout rate, the lower walk rate and a 25% quality-start rate, while Smith-Shawver is still looking for his first quality start.
There is one area where Smith-Shawver has been better: home-run prevention. His 1.02 HR/9 is lower than Peralta’s 1.41. But nearly every other starting-pitching indicator points toward Tampa Bay, and that gives the Rays a real chance to control the game early.
Recent scoring adds to that case. Both teams are 6-4 over their last 10 games, but Tampa Bay has averaged 5.2 runs in that stretch compared with Atlanta’s 4.0. That does not outweigh the larger season sample, where the Braves have scored slightly more overall, but it does show the Rays arriving with the better recent run production.
If this turns into a bullpen game, the margin narrows again. Atlanta’s relievers hold the better ERA at 3.39 compared with Tampa Bay’s 3.55, while the Rays have the better WHIP, 1.12 to 1.21. Those numbers suggest no overwhelming late-inning mismatch, which only puts more attention on the first several innings and the gap between the probable starters.
That is the shape of this matchup: two first-place teams separated by almost nothing in the standings, with Tampa Bay bringing the more favorable starting-pitching profile and Atlanta countering with slightly better season-long power and a solid bullpen.
- Both teams enter in first place with nearly identical records: Tampa Bay is 85-58, Atlanta is 85-59.
- The biggest statistical gap is at starter: Freddy Peralta owns the better ERA, FIP, WHIP, K/9, BB/9 and quality-start rate than probable Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver.
- Recent form is similar in wins and losses (both 6-4 in the last 10), but the Rays have scored more lately, 5.2 runs per game to Atlanta’s 4.0.
How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix
Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.
Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand
Lineups
Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Team comparison
TB·ATLAVG.258 2nd.246 11th
OPS.728 8th.718 17th
Home runs169 22nd204 9th
Runs736 12th742 8th
OBP.326 5th.309 28th
SLG.402 13th.409 7th
TB·ATL1stMLB rank30th
TBATL
TBATL
TBATL
TBATL
TB·ATL1stMLB rank30th
no league rank
no league rank
TBATL
TB·ATL+3968th
Run differential
+38110th
98–64 Record94–68
6–4 Last 106–4
Last 10 games
L
W
W
L
L
W
L
W
W
W
L
W
L
W
W
L
L
W
W
W
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
2—1
Frequently asked
Who is starting for the Rays?+
Freddy Peralta (4.96 ERA, 7–11) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Braves?+
AJ Smith-Shawver (7.13 ERA, 0–1) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
7:15 PM ET at Truist Park.
Where is the game being played?+
Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
How have the Rays and Braves performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Braves 1–2 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Freddy Peralta is at 54; AJ Smith-Shawver is at 27. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.