A Fragile Ninth: Braves Squeeze Past Cardinals Amid Bullpen Gamble
As the Atlanta Braves stepped onto the field to begin the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, the momentum had finally shifted in their favor after a turbulent stretch. It had been a game filled with tension, missteps, and the looming cloud of injury troubles, yet for the first time that night, Atlanta looked poised to emerge victorious.
One of the more concerning developments leading into the game was the placement of ace Spencer Strider on the injured list due to a hamstring issue. Losing a pitcher of Strider’s caliber is a serious blow to any rotation, let alone one aspiring to contend deep into October. However, fortune favored the Braves in the form of Spencer Schwellenbach, who managed to stabilize the game after a rocky start. Schwellenbach delivered a much-needed boost with seven solid innings, allowing Atlanta to remain in striking distance until their bats came alive.
The breakthrough came in the eighth inning. After a stretch of stagnant offense, Sean Murphy stepped up and crushed a pivotal three-run home run that breathed new life into the dugout and gave the Braves a comfortable four-run cushion. With the lead sitting at 6-2, it seemed like the hardest part of the night was behind them. All that remained was for veteran closer Raisel Iglesias to seal the win and for the bullpen to avoid any unnecessary drama.
Same Struggles, Different Night for Iglesias
But this is baseball. Games that seem to be wrapped up neatly can unravel in seconds, and Iglesias nearly allowed just that to happen.
Iglesias, who has been under the microscope in recent weeks due to a string of underwhelming outings, quickly found himself in trouble once again. It didn’t take long for Cardinals hitters to pounce — consecutive doubles plated a run and immediately put pressure on both Iglesias and manager Brian Snitker to make a quick decision.
Surprisingly, Snitker opted to leave Iglesias on the mound, even as warning signs began flashing with each pitch. Two batters later, the situation grew more dire — a two-run homer brought the Cardinals within a single run of tying the game. The crowd, already on edge, fell into a tense silence. For many watching, the question wasn’t just about Iglesias’ current performance — it was about why Snitker hadn’t made a move.
And yet, in what felt like an eternity, Iglesias managed to regroup and record the final out, preserving the win. It was far from a clean finish, but it counted just the same in the standings. The Braves extended their win streak and held on by the thinnest of threads, though not without raising eyebrows in the process.
Snitker’s Decision: Blind Loyalty or Calculated Risk?
Following the final out, the postgame discourse quickly zeroed in on Snitker’s decision-making. Critics of the Braves’ longtime manager were quick to label the move as another instance of his notorious loyalty to veterans, sometimes to a fault. The notion that Snitker would allow Iglesias to remain in the game despite obvious struggles sparked familiar debates: Was this another example of gut feeling overtaking tactical logic?
On the surface, it may have appeared that way. Iglesias didn’t have his best stuff, and the damage he gave up in the ninth nearly cost the Braves a win that had felt secure moments earlier. Snitker’s defenders, however, pointed to a more nuanced explanation — one that framed the decision as risky but potentially justified given the broader circumstances.
The Bigger Picture: Strider’s Injury and Tuesday’s Bullpen Game
Context matters. And in this case, the context behind Snitker’s gamble sheds light on what otherwise looked like mismanagement.
With Strider out and no clear starter available for Tuesday’s game, the Braves found themselves in a precarious spot. They would almost certainly need a bullpen day in the next matchup, meaning every rested arm could make the difference between a winnable game and a disaster. When Schwellenbach went seven innings, it was a gift — it allowed Snitker to limit bullpen usage and preserve as many pitchers as possible for what was looming.
So, when Iglesias came in with a four-run lead, Snitker likely calculated that it was worth the risk to ride him, even with recent inconsistency. A four-run buffer isn’t airtight, but it does provide some wiggle room. From that perspective, leaving Iglesias in could be seen not as negligence but as a necessary gamble with future matchups in mind.
And it almost went south. Had the Cardinals tied or taken the lead, the entire narrative would have changed. But baseball isn’t played with what-ifs. Iglesias got the save, and Atlanta secured the victory — and now the bullpen is fully stocked for Tuesday, where every reliever may be called upon.
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