The Atlanta Braves took 2 of 3 games from the Colorado Rockies over the weekend for their second straight series win. Winning series is exactly what the Braves need to keep doing, probably for the rest of the season, if they want to get anywhere close to playoff contention. But the big picture issue that continues to plague the Braves this season is the bullpen. Following the 13-strikeout performance by Spencer Strider on Saturday, Grant Holmes struck out 15 Rockies on Sunday. Holmes would leave the game in the 7th inning having surrendered only two earned runs off of 2 hits to the Rockies, then the wheels completely fell off.
The Braves bullpen would go on to give up 7 runs in the final 3 frames, and the Braves lost the game by a score of 10-1.
Only scoring one run is also somewhat concerning, as the offense has been bad as well this season, but they have come around lately, and seem to be finding a stride. The 2025 trade deadline is approximately 6 weeks away, and it seems the Braves have a pretty big decision to make: will they be buyers or sellers? If they do decide to make a deal at the deadline, the biggest and most obvious area that needs improvement is definitely the bullpen. Randy McMichael and Abe Gordon discuss the weekend series and how important that they continue to win them with the division rival New York Mets coming to town.