The final 10 weeks of the season are upon us, but Arodys Vizcaino isn’t around the corner to bolster the Braves’ struggling bullpen.
Vizcaino, the team’s primary closer, is still 2-to-3 weeks away from throwing. He was placed on disabled list July 14 with shoulder inflammation, the same issue that sidelined him in late June.
A.J. Minter has handled closer duties in his absence, but a domino effect has weakened the bullpen as a whole. But the left-hander has stepped up in Vizcaino’s absence, holding the opponent scoreless in 12 of his past 13 outings.
While it appears Vizcaino’s return may be delayed into September, the Braves do expect him to pitch again this season.
“It’s going to be at least a couple weeks until he starts throwing again,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I don’t look at Viz losing the year. I think at some point, because he’s a one-inning guy, we’ll get him back. I say that, but until he starts throwing again we don’t know.”
Vizcaino converted 15 of 17 save chances, striking out 34 in 32-2/3 innings.
The Braves are scouring the trade market for relief help, and the prevailing thought is they’ll add an arm to the group before the trade deadline July 31. Even more importantly, they need the relievers in place to produce to their capabilities, according to Snitker.
Vizcaino’s unavailability disrupted the rhythm of the bullpen, which further speaks to the team’s lack of depth. The Braves have tinkered with different combinations to finish games, though their starters consistently throwing five or six innings hasn’t helped the cause.
“We’re not that deep in our ‘pen, so when you lose a guy like that, it pushes everyone up a notch,” Snitker said. “That’s a pretty big deal. We’re lucky we’ve had guys who’ve done a good job in little more increased roles. It’s hard, you lose one of your matchup keys late in the game, having to close with A.J. (Minter). With Viz closing, you can pick and choose between (Minter) and (Dan) Winkler in the seventh and eighth inning situation. That pushes other guys back to get to them too. So it’s a big deal.”
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