Johnson (3-3) picked up the win Thursday over the Marlins, giving up a hit and striking out one in a scoreless seventh inning.
The right-hander held Miami in check with Atlanta down 6-5 and was rewarded when his squad took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh. Johnson may have missed a chance to audition as the closer down the stretch when Raisel Iglesias didn't get traded, but Johnson remains a key high-leverage option for Atlanta. He's been scored upon just once since June 13, posting a 0.48 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 19:3 K:BB over his last 19 appearances (18.2 innings) with two wins and five holds.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Nabs win Thursday
Rotowire
Johnson (2-3) picked up the win in Thursday's 12-11 extra-inning victory over the Reds, striking out one in 1.1 perfect relief innings.
The right-hander was viewed as a potential closer candidate for the final two months of the season if Raisel Iglesias got dealt, but with Iglesias still in Atlanta after the trade deadline, Johnson will remain in a setup role. He put an impressive July in the books during which he posted a 0.75 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB over 12 innings while notching one win and three holds in 12 appearances.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Collects ninth hold
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Johnson struck out one in a perfect sixth inning Monday to record his ninth hold of the season in a win over the Royals.
The right-hander continues to provide Atlanta with reliable high-leverage innings. Over his last 15 appearances, Johnson has been scored upon only once, delivering a 0.59 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB in 15.1 innings. With Raisel Iglesias a prime candidate to get shipped out at the trade deadline, Johnson could be in the mix for saves in August alongside Dylan Lee.
Braves' Pierce Johnson: Riding scoreless streak into break
Rotowire
Johnson has a 2.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:10 K:BB through 33.2 innings this season with a win, a save and seven holds in 36 appearances.
The 34-year-old right-hander is tied for second on Atlanta in holds, behind Dylan Lee's nine, and Johnson heads into the All-Star break having not allowed a run since June 7, posting a 0.97 WHIP and 11:3 K:BB in 10.1 innings over that scoreless stretch. If the struggling club decide to be sellers at the trade deadline and move closer Raisel Iglesias, Johnson could move into the ninth-inning mix over the final months of the season.
Johnson (1-3) blew the save and took the loss Saturday against San Francisco. He allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
The right-hander has taken the loss on back-to-back days, this time giving up a two-run homer to Matt Chapman that spoiled Bryce Elder's stellar outing. Johnson has gotten a shot at closing games amid Raisel Iglesias' struggles, but he's posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.73 WHIP over his past 10 appearances, and he has more blown saves on the year (two) than successful conversions (one) .
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Wild pitch leads to loss
Rotowire
Johnson (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Giants, allowing an unearned run on one hit over one inning.
After Dylan Lee recorded the first two outs in the ninth inning with the score tied 4-4, Johnson entered the game and gave up a single to Tyler Fitzgerald but promptly picked him off at first base. The right-hander wasn't so fortunate in the 10th, however -- with Fitzgerald at second as the phantom runner, Johnson watched him advance to third on a one-out groundout, and then bounced a curveball well wide of the plate that Sean Murphy couldn't corral to bring home the winning run. Raisel Iglesias appears to be on very thin ice as Atlanta's closer, but performances like this don't make a compelling case for Johnson to replace him. Over his last seven appearances, Johnson has a 6.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 6:2 K:BB in six innings with two losses and a blown save.
Braves' Pierce Johnson: Converts save chance Tuesday
Rotowire
Johnson gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his first save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Nationals.
Raisel Iglesias was unavailable after pitching Sunday and Monday, but he's also been struggling badly of late and hasn't successfully converted a save chance since May 4. Johnson, on the other hand, reeled off his 10th straight scoreless appearance Tuesday, a stretch in which he's posted a 0.20 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB in 10 innings. While manager Brian Snitker hasn't yet indicated he's contemplating a change in the ninth inning, Johnson is making a strong case for a spot in the closing mix, at least until Iglesias rights the ship.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Collects third hold
Rotowire
Johnson struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings Sunday to record his third hold of the season in a win over the Dodgers.
The right-hander was expected to be one of Atlanta's top setup men this season, but a bumpy beginning to 2025 moved him down the bullpen hierarchy -- Johnson entered the game in the sixth inning Sunday. He appears to have turned things around however, delivering six straight scoreless appearances with a win, two holds and a 7:0 K:BB.
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Braves' Pierce Johnson: Notches first hold of 2025
Rotowire
Johnson gave up a hit and a walk over two-thirds of a scoreless inning to record his first hold of the season in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers. He struck out one.
Entering the game in the sixth inning to protect a 5-3 lead is a long way from the high-leverage usage Johnson was expected to see this season, but Atlanta was desperate to secure its first win of 2025. How the setup crew was deployed ended up being moot when closer Raisel Iglesias served up a walk-off homer to Shohei Ohtani. Johnson has been sharp in the early going, posting a 0.00 ERA and 4:1 K:BB through his first 2.2 innings, and once Atlanta gets off the shneid, holds should start to pile up for him.
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