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On a team as loaded with talent as the 2023 Atlanta Braves, it’s easy to miss a standout performance here or there.

            Say, like Raisel Iglesias, the Braves closer.

            Iglesias must have been tired of being overlooked, so he threw 13 scoreless innings for Atlanta in August to claim the NL Reliever of the Month award.

            This dominance was a familiar sight for Braves fans, who watched “EL CICLÓN” (The Cyclone) throw 27.1 innings while allowing only a single run for Atlanta in 2022. That run came after he was acquired from the Angels at the 2022 trade deadline.

            The Cuban right-hander struggled through the first few months of 2023, watching his ERA climb as high as 4.79 on June 24.

            Since that date, he has allowed only 2 earned runs through 25 innings pitched, slamming the door rudely and regularly on opposing offenses.

            The key to Iglesias’ success in Atlanta is an improved pitch mix. With the Angels, he relied on each of his four pitches (fastball, slider, changeup, sinker) more-or-less the equally to put batters away. In 2023 with Atlanta, he relies on his changeup and slider to finish at-bats over 70 percent of the time.

            His slider and changeup are some of the most effective pitches in baseball and are the reason Iglesias so effectively anchors the Braves bullpen, which boasts the best ERA in the National League (second best in MLB).

            Atlanta’s magic number is 11 (a combination of Braves wins and Phillies losses) and division lead is 14.5 games. They look to enter the playoffs with the best offense in baseball and a top-two pitching staff in the National League, and no doubt Iglesias will be a weapon when they do.