Regarding the rather inauspicious debut of newly acquired Atlanta Braves closer Shane Greene this past weekend, a friend said Monday, “I hope the Braves kept the receipt on him.”
Ouch!
But it does make you wonder if something along the lines of the Curse of Kimbrel – as in former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, whom Atlanta declined to bring back this summer – isn’t afflicting the club at the moment as it attempts to shore up its most glaring weakness.
In truth, those four runs Greene allowed in two appearances – Sunday’s 10th-inning, three-run homer giving Cincinnati a 6-4 victory – are probably just an unfortunate glitch for the central Florida native who grew up a huge Braves fan hoping to become the next Chipper Jones.
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel delivers against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Friday, July 12, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)Saturday and Sunday aside, he almost certainly didn’t forget how to pitch on the flight from Detroit to Atlanta. There’s a reason Greene had successfully completed 22 of 24 save opportunities and owned a 1.18 earned run average before the trade last Wednesday, and it wasn’t just dumb luck.