Braves’ bullpen, even without Robert Suarez, continues to be one of MLB’s best

“And when it’s going really well, it’s almost like a good football team, that everybody’s doing their role well and knows when they’re going to be deployed.”

Martinez spoke from the visitors’ dugout Sunday morning, long before his bullpen would be thrown into one of the more chaotic games of the season.

Dylan Dodd had to get the final out of the sixth inning in a 2-0 game, then threw a 1-2-3 seventh. Dylan Lee had to go through the heart of the Orioles lineup and gave up a solo home run to slugger Pete Alonso — but got through the rest of the inning unscathed to keep the Braves in front.

Closer Raisel Iglesias walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth, then had to pitch around an Ozzie Albies error that turned into a game-tying, unearned run. Iglesias was charged with a blown save, just his second of the season, but kept the game tied to give the Braves a chance in extra innings.

Lefty Danny Young continued to walk the tight rope in the bottom of the 10th. A free pass to Dylan Beavers and an intentional walk to Alonso loaded the bases with nobody out. Young got some good fortune when his 1-2 sweeper was lined to first for a double play.

The Braves next went to right-hander Tyler Kinley, who has given up eight homers and 18 runs in 36 innings pitched. But the veteran has allowed only five inherited runners to score all season in his 42 appearances. He shut the door again Sunday by getting an inning-ending pop-up to first in the 10th and then protecting a 3-2 lead in the 11th.

“There’s been plenty of disappointments, plenty of frustration,” Kinley said. “It’s tough when you don’t feel like you’re doing your job and you’re causing somebody else to now miss an off day, somebody else to miss an opportunity that they shouldn’t have been in that game.

“Most importantly, it’s frustrating when you cost a team a win. But for me, I think I’ve just tried to stay level-headed and stay on offense and stay on attack.”

Kinley’s efforts kept the Braves as one of MLB’s best teams when it comes to fewest inherited runners scored (28). It’s just one of several categories Braves relievers can say they are among the best of in the final week of July.

They lead MLB in WHIP (1.14) and top the National League with 75 holds, 142 earned runs allowed and a 3.24 ERA. They are second in the NL with 138 walks and 31 saves, third in baseball with a .217 batting average against and third in the NL with 316 hits allowed.

And they’ve done all that while accumulating more than 397 innings and using 26 pitchers to make at least one relief appearance.

“Bullpen culture is real,” Martinez said. “I think when guys show up, they’ve been put in a really good position to succeed by (pitching coach) Lance (Carter) and (assistant pitching coach) Tyler Dalton in Triple-A. But they know what their role is going to be, and they know when they’re going to get used, or they have a good idea of it because ‘Hef’ (Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner) and I give them a good idea. When guys know what to expect, at least like as much as you can project what the situation might be, they have a better chance to succeed.”

The Braves’ bullpen success of late has come without Suarez, who had a 0.56 ERA, four saves, a 0.844 WHIP and 12 holds before going on the injured list in mid-June with a forearm injury. His loss cannot be understated because of the ripple effect it has had on the bullpen.

The setup role since Suarez last pitched June 19 has somewhat been by committee, with any of the squad’s core four — Dodd, Lee, Kinley, Didier Fuentes — covering that spot.

“It’s hurt a lot, not only his performance and not having him to pitch the seventh or eighth inning against the best pocket of the lineup, but just his leadership,” Martinez said of missing Suarez. “We’re looking forward to having him back, but I think the silver lining is that other guys get battle-tested so that when we need them down the stretch here, they’re ready.”

The Braves, 19 games over .500 and with a 5½ game lead in the NL East, would prefer not to rely on their bullpen so much, of course. Their rotation, outside of left-handed ace Chris Sale, rarely has a starter make it to the seventh inning or further.

Thus, the scenarios are often of the Catch-22 variety — to continue to lean on a group of pitchers who have proved to be one of baseball’s best, while having the awareness of a mounting and taxing workload.

Not that any those guys will complain about punching the timecard.

“We’re so excited to get opportunities,” Dodd said. “And so thankful to be in the position where we are and to have this offense. When we get into a ball game in the seventh down two, it’s like we’re right there. You have a chance.”