Braves news: Brian Snitker makes history, Raisel Iglesias heat check, magic number

Tuesday night in Minneapolis was bonkers for the Atlanta Braves, alright. While Atlanta did come away with an 8-6 road victory over the Minnesota Twins to improve to 72-60 on the year, it seemed as though this team was trying to do everything in its power to concede the victory. From one questionable bullpen after another, to what Jarred Kelenic was doing, at least the Braves still won...

It was only fitting that a game featuring Spencer Schwellenbach and Simeon Woods Richardson would be absolutely off the wall. Perhaps foreshadowing a bit, Schwellenbach somehow getting enough leather on Ryan Jeffers' liner to allow Whit Merrifield to get under it for the putout frankly set the tone for the entire game and what was to come. It was a great win for the Braves nonetheless.

So without further ado, I am going to dive into a few important things stemming from the game. The first will be where the Braves stand in terms of its magic number to make the postseason. I will then follow by a tough, but potentially rewarding outing for closer extraordinaire Raisel Iglesias. To put a bow on this thing, I will finish touching on a milestone that Brian Snitker accomplished in this series.

With Chris Sale toeing the rubber in the series finale, we can only hope Atlanta can get the sweep.

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Atlanta Braves news: Magic number update

We may be a bit too early when it comes to diving into the wonderful world of magic numbers, but it is better to have a greater sense of it before we really get going in a few weeks. Entering Wednesday's games, the Braves find themselves at 72-60 on the year and in possession of the third wild card spot in the National League. They are still six games back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the divisional race.

Here is a quick rundown of where the Braves stand in terms of being able to clinch, or be eliminated.

Atlanta's magic number to make the postseason is at 28, while its "magic" number to miss out on the postseason is 34. The first number is the combination of wins for the Braves and corresponding losses to stave off presumably the seventh-best team in the National League. Right now, that would be the New York Mets, who have the inverse of the Braves' magic numbers at 34 and 28, respectively.

The Braves have created some separation with New York, but not enough to say this race is decided.

Atlanta Braves news: Raisel Iglesias heat check

Even if he did blow the save opportunity for the Braves on Tuesday night, the red-hot Raisel Iglesias did enough to come away as the winning pitcher of record. The man had not allowed a base runner for nearly a month. A hit batter vs. the Washington Nationals abruptly ended his impressive consecutive hitters retired streak. He did surrender his first hit in a month vs. the Twins on Tuesday.

A line drive off the bat of Trevor Larnach was enough to plate the Twins' fourth run of the evening. Iglesias would come back out and record a 1-2-3 inning the following frame to send this one to extra innings. Atlanta then scored four runs in the top of the 10th. Minnesota made it interesting by scoring two in the bottom of the frame, but ultimately came up short. I think this was a good moment for him.

It was better for Iglesias to become slightly hittable again in a game where he went multiple innings and gave the Braves a chance at the win. The offense picked him up, much like he had picked up the meager offense at times this season. Brian Snitker does not seem overly worried about it. However, Braves Country was fuming about his complete mismanagement of the bullpen after his big night.

I don't know if this team is truly resilient, but there is almost always a guy willing to pick up the slack.

Atlanta Braves news: Brian Snitker makes history

4,000 games, now 4,001. That is the amount of games Brian Snitker has managed in his lengthy Braves coaching career. Again, this includes all levels of competition, as we have to remember that he was a long-time minor league manager before replacing an ineffective Fredi Gonzalez from within midway through the 2016 MLB season. In this team, we have seen more good than bad from Snitker.

As a Braves lifer, a man who has worked in this organization since the 1970s, everybody of note who has played for this team has played for him at some point. Snitker is the perfect connective tissue to legends from the past, to stars of tomorrow. While he may not ever get into Cooperstown, Snitker is 1,000 percent a Braves Hall of Famer, a man who will probably see his No. 43 jersey retired one day.

Though he is very old school, Snitker has built reputation for rarely meddling with the lineup, trusting his guys to go out and perform for him. His never-fading optimism in times of crisis is certainly commendable. In the micro sense, he can be a maddening manager to root for. However, if you were to zoom out a little bit, you will find he provides the necessary stability to allow greatness to foster.

Congratulations on hitting such a historic milestone with one of the best organizations in baseball!