The Atlanta Braves Bullpen Is As Good As the Numbers Indicate

ATLANTA, GA - JULY 29: Kenley Jansen #74 reacts with Travis d'Arnaud #16 of the Atlanta Braves after the 5-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on July 29, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 29: Kenley Jansen #74 reacts with Travis d'Arnaud #16 of the Atlanta Braves after the 5-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on July 29, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs to third base against the Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs to third base against the Atlanta Braves. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Braves: Struggles With Inherited Runners

One aspect of the Braves bullpen you can look at that might explain why they’ve had so many blown saves is the number of inherited runners they’ve allowed to score.

The bullpen has inherited 137 runners this season and allowed 51 of those runners to come around and score.

Over 40 percent of the time when a reliever comes in with a runner on base they are allowing that runner to score.

That percentage certainly isn’t terrible, but it could be better and explains some of those blown saves.

By comparison, the New York Mets bullpen has inherited 126 runners this year and allowed 49 of them to score — 39 percent.

Collin McHugh leads the Braves allowing 9 inherited runners to score, but you have to take into account that he has inherited 29 runners this year! That’s just 31 percent of the inherited runners he’s allowed to score.

And when you look at the Braves’ top high-leverage relievers — McHugh, A.J. Minter, and Dylan Lee — they’ve allowed just 34 percent of inherited runners to score.

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