Atlanta Braves Matt Wisler “I’ve got some stuff to fix, I shouldn’t have an outing like that”
By Jeff Schafer
Braves Fall In Tight One, 7-5
The Atlanta Braves walked into Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Marlins with some pretty high heads…back at home for game two of this three game series and winning 12-7 the night prior. Though we won’t see two in a row, the Braves did play a good ball game. Braves fall 7-5 in game two.
Give me that type of ball game and I’d tune in every night. Yes, a win helps immensely, but for most of the season we really haven’t been that competitive. We’re actually seeing signs of this team flourishing shortly.
Freddie Freeman launched a two-run homer to center for his 30th of the 2016 season. Also, Freddie collects his 500th career RBI in the process and his 78th RBI of the season.
Matt Kemp also smashed a homer to deep left-center field in the 4th inning. This tied the game for the Braves 3-3. Kemp now has 31 homers and 98 RBIs in 2016.
In all, the Braves offense had nine hits and scored five runs. Braves hitters 1-8 all had at least one hit.
Wisler Disappoints On Hill
Braves starting pitcher on Tuesday, Matt Wisler, lasted only 4 1/3 innings after giving up six runs, 10 hits, two walks and had no strikeouts.
The 24-year-old hadn’t pitched for the Braves since August 31st against the Padres. He missed his last start because of a side injury. This nagging pain most likely caused some troubles for him tonight.
Below you’ll see Wisler mention “rust” in his post game interview. Kind of concerning where is head is at.
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The two games Wisler started in August were solid. 14 innings, six hits, six walks, two runs and had 14 strikeouts. Definitely signs of improvement from where he was in the middle and early part of 2016.
“I just left the ball up a little bit today,” Braves Wisler said following his performance. “My slider wasn’t as sharp as it’s been. Maybe it’s just rust. I’ve got some stuff to fix, I shouldn’t have an outing like that. Frustrating night.”
Going into 2017, the Braves will have some tough decisions on what to do with their five man rotation. Braves General Manager John Coppolella told us, via the Braves Twitter, that they will be looking to add two veteran starting pitchers in the offseason. Coppy also added that he is “disappointed in the lack of progress from the club’s young rotation members.”
So where does that leave Matt Wisler? It sounds like he knows these next few games will be a huge factor in the decision making process for the 2017 season.
“I can’t keep having nights like this if I want to pitch up here for a long time,” Wisler told reporters. “I’ve got three outings to prove that I can still pitch up here and to have confidence going into next year.”
Interesting enough, Wisler blames the outing on his slider and having signs of rust. Braves manager Brian Snitker, if you’ll see his quotes below, thinks it was more about command and leaving the ball up.
“The biggest thing was probably his fastball command, he just left too many balls thigh high and couldn’t get the ball down,” Braves Snitker said of Wisler. “He paid for it and just couldn’t get his pitches where he wanted them. I think it’s more that then his stuff being off. It was kind of like prior to going to Gwinnett. The stuff is always going to be there, it’s just command.”
Next: Getting the Braves Roster Ready For Rule 5
On To The Next One
The Braves have 10 more games at Turner Field so guess who will be in attendance tomorrow night to pull down the banner? His name may rhyme with Dipper Cones.
It should be a fantastic rubber match as Julio Teheran will face off against Jose Fernandez tomorrow at 7:10pm ET.