Tyler Mahle gave the Braves exactly the kind of night they were hoping for in his first start with the club. The bullpen, though, couldn’t finish the job.
Atlanta’s eight-game winning streak came to a halt in a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Yankees, undone by a rough ninth from Raisel Iglesias and a missed chance in extra innings. The Braves had taken a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Iglesias let it slip away, and New York finished the job in the 10th when Ryan McMahon delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly against Tyler Kinley.
It was another frustrating late-inning outing for Iglesias, who has now allowed multiple runs in back-to-back appearances. Since July 3, the All-Star closer owns a 6.75 ERA across 14 outings, and all three of his blown saves in that stretch have come during that span.
That collapse overshadowed a sharp Braves debut for Mahle, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Sunday and matched former Atlanta star Max Fried over six scoreless innings. Fried was making his first start against his old team, and the two pitchers went toe-to-toe all night before the game finally cracked open late.
Mahle’s nine strikeouts stood out even more in the context of Braves history. Among pitchers who had already reached the majors before arriving in Atlanta, only David Palmer had more in a debut, fanning 10 batters in 1986. Mahle entered with a 5.13 ERA for the Giants this season, but for one night he looked like a meaningful piece for a club still trying to navigate a playoff race.
The bigger picture for Atlanta’s rotation has been encouraging, even if Friday ended in disappointment. Braves starters have now held opponents to three runs or fewer in 16 straight games, posting a 2.02 ERA over that stretch.
The offense finally broke through in the eighth when Austin Riley sent a solo homer into the left-field seats. Since the All-Star break, Riley is batting .292 with five home runs in 20 games. The third baseman, now in the fourth season of his 10-year, $212 million extension, had spent most of the first half in a brutal slump; before the break, he hit .207 with nine homers in 95 games.
Matt Olson added another homer in the top of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough cushion. In the bottom half, Iglesias opened the door with a costly throwing error on a tapper toward the third-base line, allowing Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. to reach third on an infield single. Iglesias then struck out McMahon, but a walk, two RBI hits and a hit-by-pitch followed before he was pulled.
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Braves Came Dangerously Close To A Deadline Move Fans Didn't See
Alex Anthopoulos made it clear the Braves were not shopping for rotation help just to say they did at the trade deadline. Aside from Tarik Skubal, he said only one other starting pitcher was viewed internally as an impact addition, a narrow standard that helps explain why Atlantas search stayed so selective even as the deadline approached. The Braves did kick around other names, including Jos Soriano, but those options never rose to the level of a true upgrade over what was already in house.
The most intriguing path, though, was a lot closer to getting over the line than many fans realized. Ken Rosenthal reported that Atlanta and Texas came close on Jacob deGrom, with the move tied to one final condition before it could be completed, and the Braves were prepared to take on a major chunk of the money to make it happen. It is the kind of near miss that says plenty about how aggressively the Braves were willing to chase rotation help, even if the exact deal never quite came together. [Read more 🡒]
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The organization has also been working to refine his mechanics, which matters as much as the results when a young arm is trying to become something bigger than a nice story. Caminiti already carries frontline starter potential, backed by a six-pitch mix that gives evaluators plenty to imagine if the polish keeps coming. For the Braves, the next part is just as important as the promotion itself, because the real question now is how quickly he can turn early flashes into something Atlanta cant keep off its radar. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Prospect Sent Braves Top Prospect A Brutal Double-A Welcome
Cam Caminitis first step into Double-A came with the kind of reminder that the next level does not wait for anyone, even the Braves No. 1 prospect. In his debut for Columbus, the left-hander worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs in a game the Clingstones won over Biloxi, giving Atlanta a look at where one of its most important young arms stands after a season that has taken him through 19 minor league appearances and left him with a 3.86 ERA.
The early blow came from Brewers prospect Josh Adamczewski, who has carried a strong bat into Double-A after his promotion and made an immediate statement in the matchup. For Caminiti, the outing still offered a useful measuring stick, but it also showed how unforgiving upper-level lineups can be, especially when a top prospect is trying to settle in against hitters who are already proving they belong. [Read more 🡒]