NEW YORK – June wasn't halfway done yet, and already Braves relievers had five blown saves and five losses for the month before Friday night's series opener against the Mets.
They had a 5.10 ERA in June to increase their majors-worst bullpen ERA to 4.75 before Friday.
“It happens around the same point in the game, too,” said manager Fredi Gonzalez, whose Braves relievers frittered away a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning Thursday against the Padres and lost 6-4 in 11 innings. “It’s like Groundhog Day.”
Thursday’s loss was the eighth for the Braves in games they led after six innings, one more than they lost in the entire 2014 season (62-7).
Considering the Braves were only 2 ½ games behind the National League East-leading Mets before Friday, it’s not a stretch to say they would lead the division with merely below-average bullpen performance instead of the majors-worst relief work they’ve gotten so far.
The Braves’ staff as a whole also had a majors-worst .278 opponents’ average allowed in close-and-late situations, along with a majors-worst 14 homers surrendered in those situations
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