Braves Snap Franchise Record Drought With Win Over Mets

The Atlanta Braves pick up another series opener win over the New York Mets with a 3-2 win Monday night. Left-hander Dylan Lee picked up the save, marking a first in quite some time.

Heading into Monday, the Braves had gone 31 games without a save, which is a franchise record going back to when MLB started tracking the stat in 1969. The previous record was 25 games that lasted between the end of the 1970 season and the start of the 1971 season. The last save came on May 16 when the Braves took the series opener at Fenway Park against the Red Sox.

The Save isn't the revered stat it used to be, but a drought that long is a strong indicator that things were going the Braves way for a while.

For starters, to pick up a save requires the team to win, and the Braves went through a patch where they lost 14 of 17 games. That removed nearly half the games immediately. Picking up a save also requires wins in close games. The Braves are 11-19 in one-run games this season and typically have relied on blowouts to win ballgames. They're 12-7 in blowout games (five-plus runs).

It also doesn't help that the Braves haven't won many low-scoring games, an environment where save situations thrive. They've also blown 17 leads this season, according to Baseball Reference.

These stats combined to create the situation where the Braves have had the second-fewest save opportunities. They haven't taken advantage of the ones they've had. They've only saved 11 games total this season.

The Braves recently shook up roles in the bullpen after Raisel Iglesias struggled all season to find his groove from last season. He's moved to seeing more time in the eighth inning and is succeeding in that spot. Meanwhile, Lee moved to the ninth from his previous role in the seventh inning. So far, he's yet to allow a run in an appearance where he appeared in the ninth inning this season. An unearned ghostrunner in the 10th is the only run he's allowed that late in a game.

Perhaps snapping the streak can still be seen as a positive sign. The Braves have won nine of their last 13 games. Winning the low-scoring bout and the bullpen keeping it together will go a long way to extending this streak.

The Braves return to action on Tuesday. A win would guarantee a split series, but also put them in the driver's seat for another series win.

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