Former Bruin Jake Bird Endures Uncharacteristic Outing vs Braves

Just a few days after another terrific outing against the San Francisco and further staking his claim as one of the best relievers in the majors, Former UCLA Bruin Jake Bird endured one of the worst outings of his season against the Atlanta Braves on Friday.

Before Friday, Bird was boasting a 1.41 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 28 appearances this season. He hadn't allowed a single run since May 17 and only allowed one run since May 3.

On Friday against the Braves, Bird entered with a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth and immediately gave up a double to Matt Olson.

After getting Marcell Ozuna out on a foul fly ball, the right-hander struck out Ozzie Albies and looked like he was about to get out of another inning untouched.

Bird then walked Sean Murphy, who later advanced to second and moved Olson to third on a wild pitch. Braves center fielder Michael Harris II then came up to the plate and sent out a 1-1 ball to deep right center to tie the game and send Bird to the dugout with his second blown save of the season.

Bird is now 0-for-2 on save attempts this season with a 1-1 record. His below-par outing against the Braves is just the second time he's allowed more than one run in an appearance all season.

His ERA shot up to a 2.06 in 39.1 innings pitched with a 1.12 WHIP.

The former Bruins' stellar play has garnered tremendous reported attention from other ball clubs desperate for a bullpen arm like his ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The Rockies could get some solid prospects in a deal for Bird. Suggested suitors include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies among other contenders looking to bolster their bullpens for the rest of the season.

Bird was a standout ace for the Bruins in his three seasons at UCLA, none better than his senior year in 2018 where he boasted a Pac-12-leading 2.17 ERA, finishing the year with a 7-4 record. His performance on and off the mound earned him an Academic All-American Third Team selection, the first Bruin since 1988 to earn those honors, and an All-Pac-12 selection.

Bird was drafted by the Rockies with the 156th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. This is Bird's fourth season in Colorado and is easily his best. He never had below a 4.33 ERA season in his first three years and is currently on pace to have one of the best reliever seasons in the National League.