The Atlanta Braves boasted the Night Shift for 2021's run to the World Series, and while the 2022 group may not share the nickname, they may be just as effective.
Grant McAuley joined the Midday Show with Andy and Randy on Tuesday to discuss the Braves' dominant weekend series win over the New York Mets.
Andy Bunker asked Grant McAuley what his biggest takeaway from the weekend was. The natural inclination would be to discuss the big home runs from the heart of the lineup against the best that the Mets had to offer, but McAuley went a different direction with it.
"The bullpen covered 12 and two-thirds innings to back up Max Fried, who was sick; Kyle Wright, who had to grind it out a little bit; and Charlie Morton, who had to grind it even more just to get into the fifth inning;" Grant told the guys on Tuesday. "That bullpen came in and they allowed one run over that 12.2 innings. They hardly allowed any baserunners whatsoever."
The Mets are a pesky lineup that is known for stringing together long at-bats and getting guys on base. The Braves bullpen absolutely shut them down all weekend long.
The dominance that they displayed was eerily reminiscent of last year's unit that flexed its muscle in the postseason. The late-inning combination of Will Smith, Tyler Matzek, Luke Jackson, and A.J. Minter was historically good, but if this weekend was any indication, the 2022 group figures to be just as strong.