The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brave's Wright starts it off
Young pitcher trying to put himself in the mix has erratic first outing.
‘I felt like I was a little amped up. I got a bunch of guys to two strikes. Really wanted to put guys away. I got a little eager . ... It felt good to get back out there and pitch.’
Kyle Wright
Allowed 3 runs on 4 hits
The Braves’ exhibition season is underway, beginning with Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte, Florida. Kyle Wright started the game, going 1⅓ innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Wright pitched a scoreless first frame before surrendering consecutive one-out doubles in the second. A wild pitch and a single later, Wright departed the game in a 2-1 hole. Austin Meadows’ tworun homer scored the stranded runner.
“I felt like I was a little amped up,” Wright said. “I got a bunch of guys to two strikes. Really wanted to put guys away. I got a little eager. ... There was a little extra adrenaline, being the first one. It felt good to get back out there and pitch.”
Wright, 25, made eight starts last season, posting a 5.21 ERA. But he finished the regular season with three consecutive solid outings before pitching six scoreless innings against the Marlins in the playoffs. He looked like a different pitcher during the final portion of the year.
Wright’s season ended on a sour note, however. He was obliterated in his final outing, charged seven
runs while recording just two outs against the Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Still, his overall work late in the season is reason for optimism.
“I was able to really give myself a good base of what I needed to do and what I could build off of,” Wright said, later adding his emphasis this spring is consistently pounding the strike zone. “Whereas previous seasons, I feel like I didn’t quite have that. Too many inconsistencies. Excluding the last (start), just getting that good base, I feel like I was able to have a good idea of what to work on.”
If Mike Soroka, recovering from a torn Achilles, starts the season on the injured list, Wright is a leading candidate to take the open rotation spot. Even if he starts in Triple-a Gwinnett, he’s crucial depth for the Braves over a 162-game season. But Wright, a No. 5 overall draft pick, is aspiring to be more than depth. If he takes another step forward this season, perhaps he could finally secure a rotation spot for 2022. The Braves would be thrilled with such outcome.
“I liked the stuff,” manager Brian Snitker said of Wright. “He threw some good breaking balls at times, popped his fastball. It was OK. He lost a couple early in that first inning but he came back and threw the ball well. Overall, I thought the stuff was good.” Notes from Sunday: ■ Sean Newcomb is somewhat a forgotten man in the Braves’ pitching mix after a disappointing 2020. He was among those who followed Wright in Sunday’s game.
Newcomb gave up a homer to the first hitter he faced, Mike Brosseau. He walked two of the next three Rays before ending the inning with his second strikeout. The frame concluded after just the second out, which managers have the power to
do under MLB’S 2021 spring training rules.
“Newk’s stuff was good,” Snitker said. “You feel like Newk had limited exposure with us last year, this is his first time back in the competitive arena in a long time. That breaking ball has gotten better. Popped his fastball really good.”
■ Designated hitter Bryce Ball knocked in the Braves’ first run of the spring. Alex Jackson and Travis Demeritte drew consecutive walks off Hunter Strickland to open the second inning before Ball singled to center. Ball, a 22-yearold first baseman, is one of the organization’s most intriguing minor-leaguers because of his physical stature (listed at 6-foot-6, 240 pounds) and power prowess.
■ Reliever Carl Edwards Jr. pitched a 1-2-3 fourth, capped by striking out Wander Franco, baseball’s top prospect. It was the Braves’ only clean inning.
Edwards, a non-roster invitee, is competing for a spot in the Braves’ bullpen. He was an electric reliever before injuries derailed him in recent seasons, so he provides a moderate amount of upside if healthy.
“Carl Edwards was really, really good,” Snitker said. If Edwards maintains Sunday’s excellence, he’ll play himself into the Braves’ opening-day bullpen.
■ Two prospect highlights: Catcher Shea Langeliers, highly regarded for his defense, threw out Vidal Brujan on a steal attempt in the fifth. Outfielder Drew Waters drew a walk, stole second and scored on Trey Harris’ sacrifice fly in the fifth.
“Trey Harris, that kid can hit, man,” Snitker said. “It doesn’t matter the velocity or anything. When he gets in that batter’s box, he expects to hit . ... You watch him during the workouts, he’s always working on his jumps in the outfield, shagging balls. He’s an impressive young man.”
■ Shortstop Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley were the only two regulars who started Sunday. Swanson went 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI. Riley went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Snitker expects other regulars to play today before most of them appear in the Cooltoday Park home opener Tuesday.
■ Pitcher Huascar Ynoa will start today for the Braves against Boston veteran pitcher Garrett Richards.