Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Needed on both ends of twin bill
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Iglesias blew his fourth save of the season in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets, giving up two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning. He then gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning during the second game to record his 34th save of the year.
With Atlanta clinging to a 3-2 lead in the eighth inning of the matinee and needing at least one win in the twin bill to secure a playoff spot, Iglesias got the call with nobody out and runners on first and second to try and shut down a rally, but the veteran closer gave up an RBI single to Jose Iglesias, a sacrifice fly to Mark Vientos and a two-run homer to Brandon Nimmo. Atlanta wound up losing 8-7, but Iglesias shut the door in the nightcap, taking him off the hook for what might have been a season-ruining meltdown. It was his first blown save since Aug. 27, but the second time in his final eight appearances of the regular season he's been tagged for multiple runs. Fatigue could be a factor after the 34-year-old finished the regular season with 69.1 innings, his biggest workload since 2021. Iglesias has also taken the mound four times in the last four days, which likely makes him unavailable should Atlanta have a late lead to protect Tuesday in Game 1 of its NL Wild Card Series against the Padres.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Picks up win Saturday
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Iglesias (6-2) struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the win over the Royals on Saturday.
Iglesias kept the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the ninth inning, and Travis d'Arnaud walked it off for Atlanta with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. Iglesias has allowed six runs (five earned) over 14 innings this month, but five of them came in one appearance versus the Dodgers on Sept. 15. The closer has a 1.72 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 68:13 K:BB across 68 innings this season while converting 33 of 36 save chances. Iglesias has thrown a modest 16 pitches over the last two days, so he could still be available for a potential save opportunity Sunday.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Completes one-pitch save
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Iglesias picked up the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Royals, retiring the only batter he faced.
After Max Fried walked Bobby Witt and allowed a Michael Massey double with two outs in the ninth, Iglesias took over and required just one pitch to induce a Salvador Perez flyout. The veteran reliever has now turned in four consecutive scoreless appearances after a five-run disaster against the Dodgers on Sept. 15. Overall, Iglesias has pitched to a 1.75 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 66:13 K:BB across 67 innings while converting 33 of 36 save chances this season.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Nails down 32nd save
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Iglesias gave up two hits and struck out two in two scoreless innings Sunday to record his 32nd save of the season in a win over the Marlins.
Starter Grant Holmes lasted only four innings, putting extra pressure on the Atlanta bullpen in a nearly must-win game for the club, and Iglesias wrapped things up with his third two-inning appearance among nine trips to the mound in September. The additional workload may have contributed to a five-run meltdown against the Dodgers on Sept. 15, but the right-hander hasn't been tagged with an earned run the rest of the month, and he has a 14:5 K:BB through 11.2 innings while going a perfect 5-for-5 on save chances.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Implodes in ninth inning
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Iglesias (5-2) took the loss Sunday against the Dodgers, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk while striking out one in just two-thirds of an inning.
Iglesias was working in a tie game and retired two of the first three hitters he faced with Will Smith hitting a triple. Atlanta opted to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani to get to Mookie Betts, who put the Dodgers ahead with a base hit. Iglesias was unable to get the final out, as Freddie Freeman singled home another two runs and Teoscar Hernandez mashed a two-run homer. It was a truly shocking performance from Iglesias who had not allowed an earned run since June 16 and hadn't allowed more than two hits since April 24. Iglesias is still having a career year with a 1.87 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 64:12 K:BB in 62.2 innings and needs four more saves to set a new career high.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Collects win in extras
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Iglesias (5-1) picked up the win Sunday over the Blue Jays, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk over two innings of relief. He struck out one.
The Atlanta closer entered a tie game in the top of the 10th inning with a save chance no longer on the table, and while Iglesias allowed the phantom runner to score in the 11th, his offense walked it off in the bottom of that frame. Iglesias hasn't been tagged with an earned run since June 16, and on the season he sports a dazzling 1.18 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 62:11 K:BB through 61 innings. He's three saves shy of tying his career high of 34, a mark he reached in both 2019 and 2021.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Secures 31st save
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Iglesias earned the save in Friday's 3-1 win versus Toronto, pitching a scoreless inning with three strikeouts while allowing two hits.
The Atlanta closer's scoreless appearances streak now stands at 21, as he worked around a two-out double by Joey Loperfido in this 15-pitch outing. During the streak, Iglesias has accumulated 31 strikeouts against just three walks across 24.1 innings while securing 10 saves. Overall, the 34-year-old has pitched to a 1.22 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 61:10 K:BB while going 31-for-34 in save opportunities across 59 innings this season.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Notches save No. 30
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Iglesias earned a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, allowing one walk while striking out two batters in one scoreless inning.
Iglesias had a three-run lead to work with in the ninth frame and had little trouble taking care of business, issuing a harmless two-out walk and retiring the side on 15 pitches. The veteran closer picked up his 30th save of the campaign -- the fifth time he's reached that mark in his career. Iglesias has a shot of reaching his career-high tally of 34 saves, which he posted in both 2019 and 2021.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Notches 29th save
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Iglesias struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his 29th save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Rockies.
The right-hander fired seven of 12 pitches for strikes as he collected his first save since Aug. 22. Iglesias has gone 26 straight appearances without giving up an earned run, posting a minuscule 0.30 WHIP in 30.1 innings over that stretch with a 36:3 K:BB. His next successful conversion will give Iglesias his fifth career 30-save campaign.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Blows save but gets win Tuesday
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Iglesias (4-1) blew the save but picked up the win in Tuesday's 8-6 extra-inning victory over the Twins, allowing one hit over 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two.
The Atlanta closer entered the game with two outs and the tying run on second base in the eighth inning, and Trevor Larnach dumped a single into left field to tag Iglesias with his third blown save of the season and first since May 3. The right-hander then worked a clean ninth and saw his offense erupt for four runs in the top of the 10th. Iglesias hasn't given up an earned run since June 16, a stretch of 26.1 innings in which he's delivered a 0.27 WHIP and 32:2 K:BB.
Iglesias (3-1) earned a win over the Nationals on Friday. He struck out one batter over two scoreless innings.
Iglesias threw 15 of 21 pitches for strikes as he kept Washington off the board in the ninth and 10th innings, but his streak of 10 straight perfect appearances was snapped by a hit-by-pitch to lead off the 10th. It was the third time this season he completed two innings in an outing and all of them have come since the start of July. Iglesias has tossed 25 straight innings without allowing an earned run, lowering his ERA from 2.70 to 1.39 during that span. He owns a 50:8 K:BB while converting 28 of his 30 save chances through 50 appearances.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Strikes out side for save
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Iglesias picked up the save over the Phillies on Thursday, striking out three over a perfect ninth inning.
Iglesias entered the game with a one-run lead in the ninth and needed only 12 pitches to strike out the side for his 28th save of the campaign. The right-hander hasn't allowed any hits or walks in 10 straight appearances while posting 13 strikeouts over that stretch -- per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, he's only the third pitcher in modern history to record at least 10 straight perfect appearances. Thursday also marked the first time this season in which he struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Extends scoreless streak
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Iglesias earned the save Tuesday, setting the Phillies down in order in the ninth inning to close out a 3-1 victory.
Iglesias has now converted his last 18 save chances. He's gone 19 appearances (22 innings) without allowing an earned run, allowing just four hits and two walks in that span. The 34-year-old Iglesias has converted 27 of 29 save opportunities this year while lowering his ERA to a pristine 1.48 with a 0.64 WHIP and 46:8 K:BB across 48.2 innings.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Earns save No. 26
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Iglesias picked up the save over the Angels on Sunday, tossing a perfect ninth inning while striking out one.
Iglesias was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth and did so without any trouble. He struck out Kevin Pillar to begin the frame before retiring the last two batters on easy groundouts. Iglesias has now recorded 18 straight saves since his last blown opportunity May 3. He hasn't allowed an earned run since June 16. The 34-year-old owns a 1.51 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 46:8 K:BB in 47.2 innings and is tied for sixth in baseball with 26 saves.
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Braves' Raisel Iglesias: Secures save No. 25
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Iglesias picked up the save against the Giants on Tuesday after pitching a scoreless 10th inning.
Iglesias was called upon for a second straight day and needed just two pitches to retire the first two batters he faced. He eventually got Heliot Ramos to fly out to end the game, and with that, Iglesias picked up his 25th save, tied for sixth in all of baseball. He's on track to post a second straight season with 30-plus saves. The 34-year-old is also on track to post the lowest ERA and WHIP of his 10-year career, as he currently owns a 1.54 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 45:8 K:BB in 46.2 innings.
Iglesias (2-1) picked up the win over the Giants on Monday, striking out four batters over two perfect innings in a 1-0 victory.
Chris Sale and Blake Snell put on a pitching clinic, striking out a combined 23 batters while allowing only five hits and zero runs between them, and the scoreless tie continued into the 10th inning before Atlanta managed to squeeze out a run on a Travis d'Arnaud sacrifice fly. Iglesias, who had entered the game in the ninth, then remained on the mound for the bottom of the 10th and nailed down the win. The veteran closer hasn't allowed an earned run since June 16, posting a minuscule 0.32 WHIP and dazzling 25:2 K:BB over his last 19 innings while collecting both his wins on the season and converting all six of his save chances.
