The Atlanta Braves pitching staff just keeps getting dealt blow after blow. The latest being a ninth inning collapse from Raisel Iglesias on Thursday, resulting in the team blowing a 10-4 lead to lose 11-10 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. It triggered the Braves to make a knee-jerk move in bringing up Craig Kimbrel from Triple-A ball, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The move, though desperate, really highlights how things have gone brutally wrong for the Braves and their pitchers. First their ace, Spencer Strider, has had a haywire return after being activated off the injured list last month. Then they found out that AJ Smith-Shawver will miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury. It doesn’t help that Hurston Waldrep, who was supposed to be on the fast track to the MLB squad, has yet to make a significant enough impact to get the call.
Everything that could go awry for these Braves, has. And now, Iglesias’ latest late-game meltdown is proof, the Braves are far from where they want to be, especially with the bullpen.
Latest Braves meltdown results in promotion of Craig Kimbrel
The Braves calling up Kimbrel shows how desperate they really are to get something to work for the bullpen this season.
Kimbrel, for the most part, is doing well in the minor leagues. This season, Kimbrel recorded a 2.00 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, 23 strikeouts, and nine walks in 18 games (18.0 innings). Kimbrel also recorded three saves in four opportunities. But let’s not forget that Kimbrel is coming off of a disastrous 2024 season with the Baltimore Orioles.
After securing an All-Star Game spot in 2023 with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kimbrel joined the Orioles and was anything but an All-Star. Kimbrel posted a 5.33 ERA, a 1.357 WHIP, 73 strikeouts, and 31 walks while recording 23 saves on 29 opportunities. The Braves better hope that this Kimbrel doesn’t return this season.
The loaded question becomes, where do the Braves go from here? They have offensive problems, pitching problems, and are second from last in the NL East, a mere 3.5 games ahead of the Miami Marlins. They haven’t won a series since beating the Boston Red Sox in three games in the middle of May. And after their latest collapse against the Diamondbacks, they’ve won just three games since then.
I wish I could say it could be worse for Braves fans, but that’s true. Because every time it seems like you’ve hit rock bottom in 2025, they fall even deeper into a hole that’s starting to close in on them.
