The trade deadline has passed and the Atlanta Braves bullpen looks a little different than when the season began. Over the last few weeks, Atlanta has acquired relievers Pierce Johnson and veteran left-hander Brad Hand.
Pierce Johnson had a great outing in Monday's game against the Angels where he struck out the side in his lone inning of work. We will get a look at Hand later this week.
AJ Minter has returned from the IL and Jesse Chavez, Nick Anderson and Dylan Lee are soon to follow. While all of these guys have been sidelined, the Braves bullpen has had some hiccups.
Collin McHugh, Michael Tonkin and Ben Heller have all had rough outings in recent games. During this rough patch for Atlanta relievers, there has been one man that Brian Snitker can count on: Joe Jimenez.
Most pitchers would tell you that taking the mound at Truist Park in the June/July summer heat is not comfortable. Joe Jimenez is the exception.
A lot of people look at the Braves bullpen with a "glass half empty" attitude. Maybe looking at these stastics can change that perspective.
In June, Jimenez pitched 8.1 innings and carried a 1.08 ERA while striking out 8. Impressive, right? July was somehow better.
The next month, he appeared in 10 games (11 innings) and posted a 0.82 ERA while striking out 15. Both of these months his WHIP was well under 1. Joe Jimenez has been nearly unhittable as of late.
Your @attorneyjohnfoy Strong Arm Braves Pitcher of the Month for July: Joe Jiménez! 💪#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/2dyVZTu4HW
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 1, 2023
As the calendar flips over to August, look for Joe Jimenez to be trusted more and more in high leverage situations. Don't expect him to take the closing job away from Rasiel Iglesasis, but if Iglesasis is unavailable for any given reason, Jimenez could very well be the man Snitker calls on the close a game.