Atlanta Braves dependable pen ready for postseason play
By Fred Owens
The Atlanta Braves sweep of the weekend series spotlighted their star power but don’t overlook the bullpen stifling a potent Mets lineup.
The Atlanta Braves saw a momentum-changing catch in game two from Michael Harris II, and Austin Riley’s baseball IQ shifted the momentum in game three when he chose not to make a play on a dribbler down the third base line.
Fans will talk about Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson homering off Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Chris Bassitt; plus Travis d’Arnaud sticking a fork in his old team with a two-run double.
They’ll remember an obviously ill Max Fried giving the team five in game one, Kyle Wright shaking odd a bad first inning in game two, and Charlie Morton seemingly rising from the dead to give the Braves four-plus innings on Sunday.
Others talk about the way Raisel Iglesias waving away the middle of the Mets lineup with ease or will marvel over the sudden appearance of postseason Kenley Jansen saving three consecutive games in the highest leverage situations he’s faced so far.
It’s easy to overlook the players who built the bridge to Iglesias, Minter, and Jansen, so I’ll take a minute or 120 to talk about the best bullpen in the game.
Atlanta Braves men in the middle shine.
"I’m just the man in the middle Of a complicated plan No one to show me the signs I’m just a creature of habit In a complicated world Nowhere to run to Nowhere to hide — Maurice Ernest Gibb, Barry Alan Gibb"
Fans most often remember middle relievers when they blow a lead, allow inherited runners to score, or enter the tenth inning with the idiot-runner on second and give up a run.
When they enter, do their job, and leave, it isn’t news because it’s what they’re supposed to do, but it isn’t easy. The Atlanta Braves’ middlemen are among the best in baseball, and it’s time to give them their due.
Fangraphs provides the usual statistical data, and it’s pretty impressive. Compared to the rest of MLB, when pitching innings five, six, and seven, the Braves middlemen held batters to a Major League-best .192/.265/.296/.561 line and their .246 BAbip put the Braves in a tied with the Dodgers for the MLB lead.
The Braves .were second in MLB behind the Dodgers with:
- a 251 wOBA behind the Dodgers’ .247 and just ahead of Houston’s .274.
- a 27.1% K-rate behind the Dodgers’ 27.5%
- an 8.1% walk rate,
- an 18.9 K-BB rate, a 1.02 WHIP
They were also second in MLB behind only Houston with:
- a 2.51 ER, behind only Houston’s 2.39, and faced 145 more batters
- 156 hits
- 29 doubles
- 18 home runs
These guys are good, but who are these guys?