Smith struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his fourth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran lefty hasn't exactly been untouchable to begin the season, getting charged with runs in four of his 10 appearances so far, but Smith has yet to blow a save and his 14:6 K:BB through nine innings is more encouraging than his 4.00 ERA. As long as he continues to get the job done though, the 31-year-old isn't likely to be challenged for his closing role.

Smith allowed no hits and three walks while striking out three in the ninth to earn the save against the Cubs on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has now put together three consecutive scoreless outings, and he earned his third save of the year in Friday's series opener. The southpaw has also been charged with two losses in his first eight relief appearances of the season and has posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in seven innings this year.

Smith (0-2) allowed one run on one hit, as he was handed the loss in Sunday's 7-6 defeat to the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Smith entered in the ninth and let up a leadoff double to Alec Bohm to put himself in some early trouble. Bohm advanced to third on a ground ball to the right side and then scored on a controversial sac fly in which he was called safe at the plate despite video evidence showing that he missed home on his slide attempt. Atlanta was unable to keep the game alive in the bottom half of the inning as Smith suffered his second loss of the year. The 31-year-old has sandwiched two saves in between his pair of losses, as he's had a bumpy start to the season with a 6.75 ERA through four innings.

Smith earned the save against Philadelphia on Saturday, pitching a perfect inning and notching one strikeout.

EDGE Analysis

Smith had yielded an earned run in each of his prior two outings, but he had no trouble against the Phillies on Saturday, breezing through the ninth inning on 10 pitches (seven strikes). The southpaw has two saves on the season along with a 5:2 K:BB across three frames.

Smith allowed one run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout during the seventh inning to earn the save during Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader at Washington.

EDGE Analysis

The left-hander struggled with his command and threw only 11 of 21 pitches for strikes as he gave up a run in his second straight appearance. Smith has surrendered two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks across two innings through his first two outings of the season.

Smith (0-1) failed to record an out and took the loss Tuesday, giving up one run on two hits and a hit by pitch in the ninth inning as Atlanta fell 6-5 to the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

Entering a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, Smith gave up a leadoff single to Victor Robles on his first pitch and plunked Trea Turner with his fourth, setting the stage for a Juan Soto walkoff single. The Atlanta closer looked very good in his first outing this season, however, and Smith's high-leverage role is in no jeopardy after only one shaky appearance, especially with Chris Martin dealing with numbness in his fingers.

Smith struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning during Thursday's extra-inning loss to the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

With Atlanta on the road, manager Brian Snitker elected to turn to his closer in a tie game against the top of Philadelphia's order rather than hold Smith back for a possible save situation later. The veteran southpaw responded by fanning Andrew McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper on only 14 pitches. Atlanta's bullpen depth will allow Sntiker to deploy Smith outside of closing situations on occasion, but he will be the team's primary relief weapon and should see the bulk of the save chances.

Smith has tossed two perfect innings while striking out three batters in his first two appearances this spring.

EDGE Analysis

The 31-year-old is expected to begin the season as Atlanta's primary closer following the departure of Mark Melancon, despite the fact that Smith didn't record a save in 2020. Top southpaws often have a hard time holding down closer jobs as they're needed earlier in the game in high-leverage spots, but Smith's handedness is less of an issue in a bullpen that features two other tough lefties in A.J. Minter and Tyler Matzek. Chris Martin could also factor into the ninth-inning mix, but Smith has the pedigree after racking up 48 saves for the Giants in 2018-19. His 114:25 K:BB in 81.1 innings over the last two seasons is impressive, but he'll need to keep the ball in the park after serving up 17 homers over that stretch.

Smith has the confidence of manager Brian Snitker should Atlanta choose to use a traditional closer, but the team isn't committing to going that route, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has a solid case as Atlanta's top reliever and has saved 49 games in his career, but he's also left-handed, so the team could deploy him against an opposing lineup's top lefties whenever they're due up, which may not always be in the ninth inning. If the team uses a committee approach, Chris Martin and A.J. Minter, among others, could also find themselves picking up saves. If Smith does open the year as the locked-in closer, there's no guarantee he keeps the job, as his numbers fell across the board last season. His ERA jumped from 2.76 to 4.50 as his strikeout rate fell from 37.4 percent to 29.0 percent. He also gave up seven homers in just 16 innings of work.

Smith (1-0) gave up a game-tying solo home run to Monte Harrison in the eighth inning Saturday, but wound up with the win as Atlanta came away with a 2-1 victory over the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

In just his third appearance of the season, Smith blew his first save in an Atlanta uniform, but he was still the pitcher of record when Adam Duvall answered with a blast of his own in the ninth. With Mark Melancon pitching extremely well so far, look for Smith to continue working in a set-up capacity rather than sharing in the save chances for his new team.