Dylan Lee emerges as closer candidate for Braves, who are winning and need one

New York Times

4 hours ago

NEW YORK — Because the Atlanta Braves scored five runs in the sixth inning and two in the eighth Tuesday, turning a 3-0 deficit into a 7-4 win against the New York Mets, there wasn't a highly pressurized situation in which to bring in a reliever in the ninth inning.
But next time there is one, don't be surprised if it's left-hander Dylan Lee, who's been one of baseball's hottest relievers and showed in Monday's series opener that he's ready for the most stressful game-on-the-line moments.
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'I'd be happy just giving (Lee) the ball and having him pitch the whole game at this point,' said Braves starter Spencer Strider, who allowed three runs in five innings Tuesday, all the runs coming in the fourth when he issued three of his four walks.
Strider was kidding about Lee to make a point.
'He's one of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball, really, if you want to just cut to it,' Strider said. 'Just so confident and calm and collected every time he's out there in any situation. Just sticks to his strengths. I think he's a guy that really understands who he is and never tries to get outside of himself. And he's a Swiss Army knife. I don't think there's a role you could put him in that he wouldn't be successful.'
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There was a save situation Tuesday, but it frankly was one of those that gives the stat a bad name.
After Enyel De Los Santos allowed a double and single with one out in the ninth, the Braves turned to their former star closer, Raisel Iglesias, with runners on the corners and a four-run lead. Iglesias gave up a one-run double but got two outs and a save.
That preserved the win for Strider on a steamy night — 97 degrees, highest first-pitch temperature in Citi Field history — when Braves hitters did heavy damage against Mets relievers, including Matt Olson's three RBIs via a sixth-inning single and eighth-inning double.
It was the ninth win in 12 games for the Braves, the majors' second-best record in that span. It was the 10th loss in 11 games for the Mets, including losses in all five games against the Braves, whose offense has finally awakened.
'It feels like our brand of baseball,' said Olson, who's hit .304 with 14 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs in the past 25 games. 'The pitching staff has just been solid all year. It's kind of been the difference of just rolling some stuff together on offense.'
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For the Braves, it's now a staggering 28 wins in the past 38 games against the Mets since August 2022. But don't suggest to Olson that they have a mental edge over their NL East rivals, who still are eight games ahead of the third-place Braves, with the first-place Philadelphia Phillies holding a 9 1/2-game lead over Atlanta.
'No, that's a really good team over there,' Olson said of the Mets, who had the NL's best record before the Braves swept them last week and still have a 27-12 home record that's tied for baseball's best. 'It's a very talented group, guys that play hard, play the right way. We love squaring off against them whether it's here or (Atlanta). No, it's just … no, no edge.'
Closer remains an unresolved situation for Atlanta but is getting a little less so because of Lee.
As recently as last week, Braves manager Brian Snitker said Iglesias was progressing toward a return to the closer role and indicated it would be best for the team if he were to regain his confidence and form and get back in that job.
But that was then, and this was Tuesday afternoon. The night before, Lee got the last four outs of a series-opening 3-2 win including striking out Juan Soto to end the eighth with two runners on — the biggest out of the game — after Iglesias allowed a pair of two-out singles.
Lee entered to face Soto, struck him out swinging at a 3-2 slider to end the inning and clean up Iglesias' mess, then retired all three Mets in the ninth for the save. That extended Lee's scoreless streak to 12 appearances, during which the big left-hander has 17 strikeouts with one walk and an .089 opponents' batting average (4-for-45) in 13 2/3 innings.
Does Snitker still think the bullpen would be best served with Iglesias eventually back as closer?
'You know what, I don't know, now that Dylan's surfaced,' Snitker said a few hours before Tuesday's game, the outcome of which presumably did nothing other than shift the momentum more toward Lee and away from Iglesias.
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The Braves mustered three hits and three walks in five scoreless innings Tuesday against Frankie Montas, who made his Mets debut after missing three months with a lat strain. He had a 12.05 ERA in six rehab starts but didn't give up an extra-base hit or run against the Braves.
But they teed off in the sixth against relievers Huascar Brazobán, José Castillo and Reed Garrett, in that order, with Olson's two-out, two-run single off Garrett giving Atlanta its first lead, 5-3, in a game it had trailed 3-0 after five.
Snitker said before the game that Lee would likely be unavailable after getting the last four outs Monday and that the Braves might continue going with matchups and who's available and has the hot hand.
But for some time now, Lee has had the hot hand in a bullpen with some of the proven, high-leverage relievers from last year hurt or gone as free agents.
Lee, 30, has become one of those high-leverage guys. His fastball velocity has increased during the season — it topped out at 96.7 mph Monday and averaged 94.9 mph, up 2 mph over his season average — while his command has improved with both the heater and outstanding slider.
'The command and the confidence,' Snitker said of Lee's improvement in his fourth full MLB season, all with the Braves after he was released by the Miami Marlins before ever pitching in the majors.
Lee said, 'I've been trying to work hard and keep earning my spot every year to be a part of this bullpen.'
He's surpassed all reasonable expectations, posting a 1.98 ERA in 88 appearances since the beginning of last season, the only lefty reliever in the majors to post a sub-2.00 ERA in 75 or more appearances over that span.
He's been even better this season, pitching in more big situations and thriving with a 1.77 ERA in 36 appearances, seventh lowest in the majors among 107 relievers with at least 30 innings before Tuesday. His 0.81 WHIP was 10th among that group.
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'Just the experience is what makes a lot of that happen,' Snitker said, 'and it's like, 'I can compete here. I can produce at this level.' And I think once you get over that, then all of a sudden you start adding, and that's, I think, where you see the spike in (his) stuff. It's confidence.'
Lee has allowed only five hits off 298 sliders this season, four or more fewer hits against sliders than any other pitcher who's thrown as many as he has. None was bigger than the one he threw to Soto on Monday for the swinging strike three.
'It was awesome,' Lee said. 'I'm glad I got the opportunity and Snit believed in me, that I was able to do it.'
So, about that closer role …
'I think it's more going to come down to where we're at in the lineup as to who closes the game,' Snitker said, before adding of Lee, 'He's been going through the teeth of most lineups pretty regular. And he's not a matchup guy; I think his numbers are probably better off against right-handers than he is against lefties.'
Indeed, Lee has the reverse splits that make it easy to use him in any situation: He's held right-handed batters to a puny .147 average and .444 OPS in 73 plate appearances, while lefties have hit .204 with a .662 OPS in 59 plate appearances.
With runners in scoring position, hitters are just 3-for-25 (.120) against Lee with five walks and 12 strikeouts, and in any situation with runners on base, he's allowed a .128 average and .427 OPS. Four of five homers off him have been solo shots.
'It might be where sometimes in order to win the game and get us to the eighth and ninth, we've got to use Dylan in the seventh (inning) in tough spots,' Snitker said. 'So I just think we're gonna do it and match it up the best we can to try and win the game.'
They didn't need Lee to win Tuesday. But the Braves will need a closer soon and often if they keep playing as they have recently. And right now, Lee has put himself in position to get that call more often than not.