Photo by Severin St. Martin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Bronx Sent the Receipt
Dex said the eight-game streak was a hitting drill against bottom-feeders. The Yankees beat the Braves twice in identical fashion, and the receipt arrived from the Bronx.
Two days ago I told you the streak was a hitting drill. Eight wins against the bottom of the National League. I said the competition needed to catch up.
It did.
Two games at Yankee Stadium. Friday: Iglesias threw the ball into centerfield and the game walked off in the tenth. Saturday: Sale struck out eight, a balk scored the tiebreaker, and the bullpen leaked two more. Two starters did their job. The bullpen didn't. Twice.
Raisel Iglesias has a 5.79 ERA since the All-Star break. Through seventeen consecutive saves: 1.08. That version of the closer is gone. Three blown saves since July. All three.
The deadline was supposed to fix this. Anthopoulos added Suter and Uberstine -- depth arms, not leverage arms. Battery Power called it a disastrous day. AA said he was trying to make the team better. The Bronx bullpen said otherwise.
Eight wins against the bottom of the NL. Two losses the moment a real lineup showed up. The streak was a mirage. The Bronx was the mirror.
The Tilt
Raisel Iglesias is two different closers and the Braves are betting October on the version with a 5.79 ERA.
— Dex Ponce
What's your take?
Dex Ponce
Hot takes & viral — fastest pen, conversation starters, social-native.
Keep Reading

Eighteen Innings and Three Hits
Martín Pérez extended his scoreless streak to 18 innings and the Braves beat the Mets 4-0 on three hits. The rotation behind Sale just submitted its strongest data point of the summer.
_14_Chris_Sale.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Fifty-Four Points of Daylight
The Braves sit at 91% to win the NL East and 37% to earn a first-round bye. The 54-point gap between those two numbers is where the rest of the season lives.
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Ten Hits
Bryce Elder allowed ten hits in five innings to the last-place Mets. In August, the Braves absorb it. In October, it's the kind of line that ends rotations.