Heading into the ninth inning against the Cardinals, things were finally starting to look up for the Atlanta Braves. Obviously Spencer Strider going on the injured list wasn't great, but Spencer Schwellenbach had rebounded to give the Braves seven strong innings and the offense woke up in the eighth inning. After Sean Murphy's three-run bomb gave Atlanta a four run lead, all that was required was for the Raisel Iglesias and the bullpen to lock things up.
Unfortunately, Iglesias' struggles from previous outings carried over to this one. Back-to-back doubles drove in one run and manager Brian Snitker left Iglesias in. Two batters later, a two-run home made it a one-run game and Iglesias still remained in the game despite clearly having an off night.
Iglesias did eventually secure the third out in the ninth and the win as a result, but this appeared to be yet another example of Snitker's questionable in-game decision-making. However, the devil is in the details here and Snit may deserve a pass in this case.
Leaving Raisel Iglesias in was a huge risk, but one the Braves were forced to take
For some, Snitker leaving Iglesias in was Snit being Snit by showing far more loyalty to a guy than he should. Iglesias has obviously been an anchor for the Braves bullpen for years now and keeping him in a game where he was getting torched certainly felt like a move that was being driven by one's gut and not by what everyone was watching. Even after the game, Snitker defended Iglesias and said that he will improve the more he throws this season.
However, there is another factor in play here. With Strider hurting his hamstring before the game, Atlanta finds themselves without a starter for Tuesday. Thanks to Schwellenbach going seven innings, Snitker likely saw an opportunity to preserve his relievers for an inevitable bullpen game and that he was highly confident that Iglesias wouldn't give up a four run lead.
This nearly backfired in spectacular fashion as Iglesias ended up giving up three runs, but it may have been a necessary risk to take. Now, the Braves have basically their entire bullpen available for Tuesday's matchup where Atlanta will be going for their fifth straight win. Iglesias is going to have to figure things out soon, but that is a problem for another day. In this case, Snitker seems to have made the right call even though it definitely came with some real risk.