“Dog Mentality” – Mederos secures first save for Braves

By Mark Bowman, Braves.com

ATLANTA — Victor Mederos’ memorable weekend took another dramatic turn Monday night.

Three days after collecting his first major league hit as a mop-up reliever during a lopsided victory over the Texas Rangers, Mederos found himself protecting a one-run lead against the San Diego Padres. He responded by retiring seven of the nine batters he faced over the final 2 1/3 innings to earn his first career save in the Atlanta Braves’ 3-2 victory at Truist Park.

“It’s high energy every day, and he’s not scared,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “It’s his first Major League save. The way he handled it, you would have thought he’d have done it a bunch of times.”

With Atlanta’s bullpen stretched thin, Mederos was called upon after starter Bryce Elder turned in six strong innings. Danny Young recorded two outs in the seventh before Mederos took over with the Braves clinging to a one-run lead.

The 24-year-old right-hander escaped the seventh inning unscathed before needing just five pitches to retire Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado in order during the eighth. Weiss had seen enough to send Mederos back out for the ninth, where he closed out the victory.

After recording the final out, Mederos looked toward the sky, let out a roar and pounded his chest in celebration.

“It’s the dog mentality,” Mederos said. “I start falling into trouble when I don’t have that aggression.”

Atlanta acquired Mederos from the Los Angeles Angels on April 3 in exchange for international bonus pool money. Although he spent most of the past three seasons in the minor leagues, he has quickly earned the trust of the Braves’ coaching staff.

Monday’s outing matched his career high with five major league appearances and may have secured a more prominent role in Atlanta’s bullpen.

“I was talking to (bullpen coach) JP Martinez today, and he was just like, ‘How many you got?'” Mederos said. “I was like, ‘I’ve got everything you want me to get.’ So I just went out there and took it one batter at a time. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I just trusted in God and trusted in what the catcher was putting down.”

The performance capped an eventful four-day stretch for Mederos. During Friday’s blowout win over Texas, he delivered his first major league hit, a two-run single off Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka, who was pitching in relief.

Now he also owns his first major league save.

“It’s been really cool,” Mederos said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’m very blessed.”