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What to Make of Braves' Recent Bullpen Woes
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- What to Make of Braves' Recent Bullpen Woes
The Braves bullpen has had a messy string of games | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
As the Atlanta Braves rotation makes a strong push, the bullpen has experienced the opposite. They've posted a 6.94 ERA dating back to the start of the week.
When they were still assembling a winning streak, it was easier to overlook it. However, after back-to-back losses at Yankee Stadium, it's time to put these woes under the microscope.
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For the most part, the dilemma comes down to two primary culprits. One of these main culprits has been nails nearly the entire season, but he's had some rough games lately. The other has struggled to find consistency since he joined the Braves bullpen.
First, we'll look to the former: Raisel Iglesias . The last two games have seen the 2026 All-Star allow four earned runs over 1 2/3 innings pitched. It's ballooned his ERA from 2.25 to 3.02. Friday night saw him blow just his third save all season. Earlier in the week, on Tuesday, his two runs allowed in the night made a comfortable lead close to finish the night off.
Going back to July, Iglesias has had a pair of games here and there where he's allowed runs. They normally haven't been costly, but some ultimately have been. All three of his blown saves this season have occurred since July 6.
He's someone who has a history of being able to get back on track. Iglesias went through it for a big part early last season and then finished the season strong. If you're the Braves, you hope it's just not the reverse, where the last couple of months are an adjustment period, but he should and will get his chance to.
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Then, there is the arm that has struggled since arriving: Danny Young . He missed over a season due to an elbow injury. Let's make sure that context isn't missed. That doesn't help.
For a couple of weeks, he was able to at least work around baserunners and lack of hits. However, even then, there were some troubling underlying stats. During his seven games where he pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings, his WHIP was 1.71. He hit a batter and recorded a wild pitch.
His fielding independent pitching (FIP) during that stretch 5.23. This isn't a stat I typically look at. As long as a batter gets out, I'll over look some baserunners. However, when the outs stop coming, this stat helps look for signs that it was coming.
Since then, he's had three appearances, where he's allowed six earned runs over 2 2/3 innings pitched. His ERA and his FIP are now pretty similar (6.35 vs 6.97).
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Some high offensive nights helped mask his recent brutal nights, but it's clear the Braves have to make some decisions on him soon.
There was some speculation that Brent Suter would take Young's spot as one of the lefties in the bullpen. So far, they have coexisted. Young will probably be the next to go when another pitching shuffle is due.
Initally, my guess would have been that he goes when Smith-Shawver gets the call to rejoin the rotation. However, he has at least one more start with Gwinnett, and he likely wouldn't get called up until right before his next start. There is no reason to recall him in the days before that.
For that reason, the Braves probably shouldn't wait that long to make a move.
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Overall, the Braves bullpen is going to be fine. Iglesias will get going again, and a roster move may have to be made. There isn't any need to panic until nothing is addressed or other frustrating moments continue to occur.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/braves/onsi as What to Make of Braves' Recent Bullpen Woes .
