As the 162-game marathon that we call the MLB regular season starts the home stretch toward the postseason, the three-time NL East defending champion Atlanta Braves are catching fire at the most opportune time.
Since the calendar turned to August, the Braves are an MLB best 11-3, and have gone from third place in the division, four games back of the New York Mets, to sitting in the sole position atop the NL East with a 1.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Braves' offense has done most of the heavy lifting during the surge up the standings, as over the past 14 games the Braves are putting up over six runs per contest. But on the rare nights when the offense is not blowing away the competition, on the nights when the games have been close headed into the final innings, Braves skipper Brian Snitker often has to rely on a bullpen that has been consistently inconsistent throughout much of the season.
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Bally Sports’ MLB analyst and former Atlanta Braves pitcher Paul Byrd joined Dukes and Bell on Monday to discuss the red-hot Braves.
Byrd praised Snitker for showing patience when dealing with Braves closer Will Smith, and the rest of the Braves bullpen.
“Brian Snitker is known for believing in his players, and standing behind them,” said Byrd when describing the loyalty the Braves manager shows all his players as they ride the peaks and valleys of on-the-field performance throughout the marathon of the MLB season.
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Byrd followed up that statement with the acknowledgment that indeed the Braves bullpen, in particular closer Will Smith, has struggled in the past few weeks and that the time may come when Snitker may have to try newly acquired reliever Rich Rodriguez, who hasn’t allowed an earned run since arriving from Pittsburgh via trade, in the closer role if Smith (24-29 SVO), continues to struggle on occasion.
But for now, the Braves will continue to ride this peak they have been on for as long as they can, while the rest of the NL East has started to sink in the standings.
Division title No. 4 in a row, here we come.