The Atlanta Braves suffered an epic collapse against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. After blowing a six-run lead in the ninth inning, the Braves decided to make some changes to the bullpen, including calling up Craig Kimbrel.
The veteran reliever didn’t have to wait long for his first opportunity with the team. The Braves sent Kimbrel out to pitch the seventh inning of a 4-4 game against the San Francisco Giants Friday. And the results were positive.
Kimbrell got through the outing without giving up a run and closed the inning by striking out Wilmer Flores on a 92 mph four-seamer, per MLB on X.
Craig Kimbrel joins the Braves’ bullpen
While it was a promising start for the 15th-year veteran, he didn’t exactly “shine.” Kimbrel gave up a single and a walk but one runner was caught stealing and the other was picked off of first base. So, ultimately, Kimbrel only retired one batter in the inning. Still, it counts. And it’s actually an improvement over what the Braves are used to amid bullpen woes this season.
Atlanta signed Kimbrel to a minor league deal this offseason. It’s the nine-time All-Star’s second stint with the team after he debuted with the Braves in 2010 and spent his first five MLB seasons in Atlanta.
The Braves needed a roster shakeup after their meltdown against the Diamondbacks. The team designated reliever Scott Blewett for assignment after his awful outing against Arizona and Kimbrel got called up to the big league club.
Despite the somewhat promising outing, Atlanta managed to find a new and exciting way to lose. The teams were locked in a 4-4 tie until the bottom of the 10th inning when Braves reliever Pierce Johnson threw a wild pitch with a runner at third base, giving the Giants the walk-off win.
Atlanta has now lost five straight games and 12 of the last 15. The Braves fell to 27-34 on the season. They’re now 11.5 games behind the first-place New York Mets in the NL East.
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