One of the negatives to an MLB reliever doing their job well is that it often leads to Minor League demotions so that teams can have ample bullpen protection from fresh arms ready for the next game. It is one aspect of the game that the Major League Baseball Players Association would like protection from when the two sides sign the next collective bargaining agreement.   

Gordon Graceffo, who pitched a scoreless sixth inning on Thursday and picked up his sixth win of the season when the Cardinals rallied to overtake the Braves, was demoted to Triple-A Memphis on Friday before the Cardinals began their three-game series against the rival Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Graceffo’s demotion was made necessary by the return of veteran reliever Ryne Stanek, who missed the past three games while away on paternity leave. Stanek, 34, met the Cardinals in Chicago and is available to pitch on Friday against the Cubs if needed out of the bullpen.

The Cardinals took two of three in the series against the Braves in Atlanta and impressively rallied from a 5-3 deficit on Thursday night by scoring seven runs on seven hits in the seventh inning of an 11-5 victory.

A big reason behind the victory was the impressive work by the Cardinals bullpen with the group covering 8 1/3 innings and not allowing a run and only three hits after Dustin May was knocked out early. May, who was pitching for the first time since June 21 after having a start skipped because of lingering back pain, was hit in the right ankle by a 91.6 mph line drive off the bat of Dominic Smith in Thursday’s first inning. When the ball caromed off May’s ankle and rolled near the right field line, three runs came around to score.

May, who suffered the back injury in the one-hit, complete game shutout he threw against the Padres on June 15, stayed in the game briefly, but was removed three batters later when his pitch count hit 34 pitches in the five-run first inning for the Braves.

From there, Justin Bruihl, Ryan Fernandez, Graceffo, JoJo Romero, George Soriano and Matt Svanson held the Braves at bay and allowed for the Cardinals offense to pull off one of the team’s most impressive come-from-behind wins of the season.

“We just had to match up from the first inning, and the bullpen did a tremendous job,” Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol told reporters after the game. “What they were able to do, with this lineup in this ballpark, and keeping them at zero (runs scored), that was incredible.”

Graceffo, who has transitioned successfully from a starting role to a reliever, has compiled a 6-1 record and a 3.35 ERA. In 40 1/3 innings of work, he has just 18 strikeouts compared to 19 walks, but he has held the opposition to just .191 hitting.

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With the Cardinals set to play a doubleheader against the rival Brewers on Tuesday at Busch Stadium, Graceffo could return to St. Louis in a matter of days to serve as the 27th player on the roster.

Stanek, 34 and a veteran of 501 MLB games, was signed over the winter to provide stability and veteran leadership for the bullpen. However, he has struggled most of the season and left the team with a 5.12 ERA and one save in 35 relief appearances. He has struck out 37 batters in 31 2/3 innings of work, but he has allowed six homers.

In 10 appearances in June, Stanek has pitched to a 3.72 ERA, but he has surrendered four homers.

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