The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wisler’s rough day won’t help his cause
LAKELAND, FLA. — With Luiz Gohara hurt, there is a wideopen competition for the spot he was expected to fill in the Braves’ pitching rotation. Matt Wisler knows he’ll have to pitch a whole lot better than he did Sunday if he’s to have any chance of getting the job.
Wisler started in place of Gohara against the Tigers and gave up five hits, four runs and two walks with two strikeouts in three innings of a 6-3 Braves loss at Joker Marchant Stadium.
“Slider was good, but I was behind in the counts and fastball command was terrible,” said Wisler, who threw 31 strikes in 51 pitches. “I’ve got to work on that this week.”
It was his worst outing of the spring and came at an inopportune time, two days after Gohara sprained an ankle, the second injury of the spring for the rookie who was penciled in for the rotation entering camp. Gohara is out indefinitely.
Aaron Blair, another former top prospect who’s a long-shot candidate for the rotation, fared better than Wisler on Sunday. Blair allowed three hits and one run in two innings as the first reliever used after Wisler exited.
“(Blair) was down in the zone good, threw a couple of good change-ups and a couple that got away,” manager Brian Snitker said.
Wisler allowed five hits, no runs and no walks in seven innings over his previous three spring games including two starts before Sunday, when he gave up a long homer to Victor Martinez on a 2-0 pitch in the second inning and allowed three runs in the third before recording the first out in that inning.
The first three batters of the third inning reached on a single, walk and single before Miguel Cabrera cleared the bases with a three-run double for a 4-0 lead. Wisler got the next three batters on a strikeout, flyout and grounder to finish his day.
“I felt good, felt like I competed out there,” he said. “After the double I came back and got three shutout (batters), so I felt good about that, felt good with the way I ended.”
McCarthy throws simulated game: Brandon McCarthy pitched in a simulated game at Braves minor league camp Sunday morning and had 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk.
It was the third spring outing for McCarthy, a 6-foot-7 right-hander who has a 1.35 ERA and .182 opponents’ average in two starts. McCarthy, in line to start the third game of the regular season, stayed back at camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Sunday to work on his slider in the simulated game.