Kimbrel inching closer to Smoltz’s saves record

MILWAUKEE — Braves closer Craig Kimbrel looked to be near near-midseason form in his season debut Tuesday, striking out all three batters in the ninth inning of a 5-2 win against the Brewers.

Then he came back about 16 hours later and pitched another perfect ninth inning with one strikeout for his second save in a 1-0 win Wednesday.

In his debut Tuesday, Kimbrel relied almost exclusively on 96-97 mph fastballs – 15 of 19 pitches – and recorded the 140th of his career. With No. 141 notched on Wednesday, he’s 13 shy of matching John Smoltz’s franchise record.

Kimbrel’s 90.4-percent career save-conversion rate (141 of 156) ranks third all-time among pitchers with at least 150 opportunities, trailing a pair of former Cy Young Award winners, Eric Gagne (91.7) and Smoltz (91.1).

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David O Brien

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