GDT 9/12/23: Braves @ Phillies - Rosario Moves Down

Man that’s a heart breaker for Philly. Hand looked great

Hand seems to be finally getting into form. Zero earned runs and only 2 base runners allowed in his last 5 appearances. K's are up. No walks either. FIP as a Brave is down to 3.65.

After his first 2-3 weeks in Atl, I thought he wouldn't make the post-season roster. But if he continues to pitch like this, he is a lock. That would be a huge boost considering Lee is done for the year. Hopefully we get Chavez back in the next week and he can get back into groove too.
 
most people probably only watch the Braves. Y’all have no idea how lucky we have it in Atlanta. Most bullpens in baseball are absolute trash.


He probably wasnt watching for the Klobster and Reitsma years and started watching games when we had the big 3 Kimbrel/Venters/O'Flaherty ending games. It feels like no one has 3+ dominant bullpen arms anymore.
 
I think it's a given that McHugh is has been our worst reliever this year. And yet he is our only reliever with more than 20 innings who has an ERA over 4.

Our BP is very good, even if we don't really have anyone that has been elite.
 
I think it's a given that McHugh is has been our worst reliever this year. And yet he is our only reliever with more than 20 innings who has an ERA over 4.

Our BP is very good, even if we don't really have anyone that has been elite.

Iglesias was elite for about 3 months.
 
Iglesias was elite for about 3 months.

Yup. I really think folks are putting too much emphasis on the bullpen's struggles in this series. Despite them, the Braves are leading 2-1 and have a shot at clinching the NL East today. In the grand scheme, our bullpen's stats are actually quite strong compared to most in baseball. If you don't catch other games, you might not realize just how shaky most relief arms are in 2023. We've been fortunate to have some solid pitchers.

Plus, any team will capitalize on mid-90s fastballs down the middle... so let's not go overboard on a few rough outings.

Ultimately, what really matters is that this team knows how to win. They can secure wins in various ways - whether it's a blowout, a close game, a come-from-behind game, or even an extra-innings battle. Regardless of a tough week or two for the starters, bullpen, or offense, I have full confidence in this team. They're an absolute powerhouse.
 
I think my pen concern is always when they are over cooked. Riggy doesn't do well on 3rd day.. so he needs to not be over used. JJ probably needs a day or 2 off in a row to get right. prince albert has looked great and I like him being a super high leverage guy. Hand I don't trust, but has been better.. same with Yates.. but both those guys will have to be used high leverage. Minter always scares me, but he seems to be our best reliever. Come playoff time we might be seeing Uncle Jessie and Wright/Elder be a factor for the pen. I am still not buying Waldrep

speaking of.. it is going to be interesting pen game tonight.. I would say Alverado/man bun are off the board for the Phils and JJ and Riggy for sure for the Braves.. Minter might be too. Prince Albert/Yates/Hand are probably our high leverage guys tonight.
 
At least Strider seems to really get up for these games. I just hope all his extra rest doesn’t hurt him. He was also one of the guys sick wasn’t he? Hope he’s ready and amped. Amped Strider is must watch baseball.
 
I think my pen concern is always when they are over cooked. Riggy doesn't do well on 3rd day.. so he needs to not be over used. JJ probably needs a day or 2 off in a row to get right. prince albert has looked great and I like him being a super high leverage guy. Hand I don't trust, but has been better.. same with Yates.. but both those guys will have to be used high leverage. Minter always scares me, but he seems to be our best reliever. Come playoff time we might be seeing Uncle Jessie and Wright/Elder be a factor for the pen. I am still not buying Waldrep

speaking of.. it is going to be interesting pen game tonight.. I would say Alverado/man bun are off the board for the Phils and JJ and Riggy for sure for the Braves.. Minter might be too. Prince Albert/Yates/Hand are probably our high leverage guys tonight.

Yes the pen issues seem to be mainly from poor pen management. The quality is still fantastic.
 
Counting today, Strider might have four starts left, right? Or three? Anyway, based on the pretty uninspiring NL Cy Young chase right now, I think Strider still has an outside shot at it if he absolutely dominates these handful of starts. He'd need to blow everyone away, but we all know he can do it.
 
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