PHILADELPHIA – When Jason Grilli converted his seventh save in as many appearances Saturday, the Braves closer set a record for the most saves before May by a pitcher in his first season with the Braves, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Not bad for a 38-year-old reliever who was signed to be a setup man to closer Craig Kimbrel. The Braves traded the four-time All-Star the night before opening day, and so far haven’t missed a beat with “Grill Cheese”, who has a 1.29 ERA and .087 opponents’ batting average in seven appearances, with 11 strikeouts and two walks in seven innings.
“I’m just staying in my lane, man,” said the amiable veteran, a former All-Star closer with the Pirates. “I’m just trying to stay focused. Like I said, it’s something that was unexpected, in the sense of the role. Not that it’s foreign to me, but I signed here to set up the guy, you know?
“Now I know I had a good spring, maybe that played into what their plan was, maybe ‘if, then’ kind of thing. Who knows what goes on in behind-the-curtain talks. But I couldn’t be happier. I worked real hard in the offseason.”
In Grilli’s five road appearances, opponents are 0-for-15 with no walks and seven strikeouts.
By the way, the former record for saves by a first-year Braves pitcher was by Dan Kolb, who had six before May in 2005.
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