Smith struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

With Kenley Jansen (irregular heartbeat) on the injured list, A.J. Minter and Smith have split the last two save opportunities, each converting with a perfect inning. Atlanta's bullpen situation is likely to evolve into a committee for now, with Smith a part of that late-inning mix. He has three saves, nine holds, three blown saves and an 0-1 record to go with a 3.30 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 31:14 K:BB through 30 innings overall.

Smith and A.J. Minter are viewed as the top candidates to pick up saves for Atlanta after closer Kenley Jansen was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to an irregular heartbeat, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jansen previously missed action during the 2011, 2012 and 2018 season on account of cardiac issues, so he'll likely need medical clearance from doctors before making his return from the IL following his latest recurrence of an irregular heartbeat. According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jansen will still able to throw bullpen sessions while he's on the shelf, leaving Atlanta optimistic that he'll be sidelined for only a brief period of time. Before Atlanta signed Jansen this winter, Smith was coming off a 37-save campaign, but his effectiveness has waned while he's moved into a setup role in 2022. Though he's still managed to pick up two saves this season, Smith has seen a sharp downturn in his strikeout rate and an uptick in his walk rate, with his 11.7 K-BB% representing his worse mark since 2012. That downturn in performance may not make Smith the clear top candidate for the closer's role, despite his ample experience in the ninth inning. Minter, meanwhile, has arguably been Atlanta's best reliever this season, as he sports an outstanding 1.69 ERA and supports it with strong peripherals (31.7 K-BB%, 1.92 SIERA).

Smith struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his second save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Marlins.

EDGE Analysis

Kenley Jansen last pitched Wednesday, but he'd worked on four of five days to that point, so Atlanta manager Brian Snitker elected to give his closer a little extra rest. Smith has been erratic this season -- his 3.38 ERA benefits from six unearned runs, while his 20.9 percent strikeout rate is almost 10 points worse than 2021 -- but he remains the next man up for saves when Jansen is unavailable.

Smith (0-1) blew the save and took the loss Friday against the Padres, giving up three runs on three hits in one inning of relief. He struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

Entering the game in the seventh inning with Atlanta ahead 6-4, Smith served up a three-run shot to Ha-Seong Kim to give San Diego the lead. The southpaw has been tagged for four homers in 13.1 innings to begin the season after allowing 18 in 84 frames over the prior two years. He has zero wins, one save and one hold in 13 appearances to go along with his 4.05 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB.

Smith recorded his first save of the season in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Reds, giving up a run on a hit and a walk while striking out one in one inning of relief.

EDGE Analysis

Kenley Jansen threw 30 pitches in his Atlanta debut Friday and wasn't available, leaving closing duties in the hands of Smith. The southpaw wasn't exactly sharp, but he did get the job done, which is not a surprising outcome after he racked up 37 saves in 2021. As long as Jansen is healthy, however, Smith will mostly be relegated to setup duties and high-leverage spots earlier in games, limiting his fantasy appeal to leagues that score holds as well as saves.

Smith may move to a setup role now that Atlanta signed Kenley Jansen to a one-year, $16 million contract.

EDGE Analysis

This is a big blow to those who drafted Smith as a source of saves. We knew Jansen had to sign somewhere, but Atlanta didn't seem like a likely landing spot. If Jansen gets hurt or struggles, Smith could be back in the ninth inning, but it seems unlikely they would have brought Jansen in to be a setup man given his long track record of success as a closer.

Smith allowed one hit and recorded two strikeouts during a scoreless ninth inning to secure the save in Game 4 of the NLDS versus the Brewers on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran left-hander surrendered a leadoff single to Eduardo Escobar, but he retired the next three batters with minimal issue, including a pair of whiffs, to finish out Atlanta's series victory. Smith notched saves in all three of Atlanta's victories over Milwaukee, allowing two hits with three strikeouts and a walk across three scoreless frames in a strong start to the postseason.

Smith struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning, earning the save in Game 3 of the NLDS against Milwaukee on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Smith didn't mess around in the top half of the ninth with a three-run advantage, retiring the Brewers in order to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Over two postseason appearances, he's collected two saves, giving up one hit and one walk while fanning one over that brief stretch.

Smith tossed a scoreless ninth inning, giving up a hit and a walk on his way to a save in Saturday's 3-0 victory over the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS.

EDGE Analysis

The closer walked Christian Yelich to open the inning before surrendering a single to Luis Urias, putting two on base with no outs. He was able to get Lorenzo Cain to line out and induced a game-ending double play off the bat of Luke Maile to finish the contest. Dating back to the regular season, Smith has now converted six straight save opportunities while pitching seven scoreless innings.

Smith tossed a scoreless inning Thursday against Philadelphia to earn the save, fanning two.

EDGE Analysis

Smith only needed eight pitches to get the job done en route to his 37th save of the season and already surpassed his career-best mark in that category. In fact, he has nailed down each of his last five save chances while tossing a scoreless outing in each of those appearances as well. He ended September on a strong note and posted a 1.50 ERA through 12 innings last month, as he's gearing up to end the regular season on a blistering note.