The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
» Wright struggles as No. 5 starter competition continues,
Seeking No. 5 spot, right- hander shaky in loss to Boston.
Kyle Wright, bidding for the fifth spot in the Braves’ early-season starting rotation, didn’t help his case Tuesday.
He allowed two run son three hits in 2⅔ innings of an exhibition game the Braves lost to the Boston Red Sox 5- 3 in Fort Myers, Fla. He walked two and struck out four.
After allowing two runs in the second inning, Wright struck out the first two batters of the third. Then the next three batters reached base — one on a hit- by- pitch, one on a single, one on a walk — to end his day.
“I think I just got a little too antsy once I got the two quick outs,” Wright said. “I kind of lost command a little bit.”
In four Grapefruit League appearances, he has allowed five run son 10 hits in 11 innings, a 4.09 ERA. He is competing with Bryse Wilson, Touki Toussaint and Huascar Ynoa for an opening in the rotation until Mike Soroka, working his way back from last season’ s torn Achilles tendon, is available to pitch.
“I wouldn’t say ( there’s) pressure, really,” Wright said of the competition. “It’s more so that we just want to do well. No one ever wants to struggle or give up hits, give up runs. I think if anything it’s just trying to do too much sometimes because you want to be as good as you can be.
“But we’ve got a lot of good pitchers that are more than deserving of that spot. Whoever gets it, they deserve it, that’s for sure.”
Manager Brian Snitker said Wright’s outing lacked “consistency and rhythm.”
“At times his pitches were good,” Snitker said. “But a hard time establishing anything is kind of what I saw.”
Wright said he remains encouraged by some aspects of his spring.
“I’m starting to put a good plan in place that I feel I can execute and pitch off that,” he said. “Results have been good and bad, I guess. I’ve had some really good innings and had some where I’ve been sporadic.”
Ozuna’s first homer: Marcell Ozuna hit his first home run of the exhibition season, a long three- run shot to left field in the third inning Tuesday. The homer accounted for all of the Braves’ runs in the game.
Ozuna is 4 for 19 (. 211) in Grapefruit League play. After collecting only t wo hits in his first 16 at- bats, he has a double and a homer in the past two games. More consistent playing time seems to be helping.
“He just got done ( playing) three games in a row, and he swung the bat a lot better by doing that,” Snitker said. “He’s going to start playing a little more.”
Toussaint’s outing: Touissant pitched three innings, retiring the Red Sox in order in the fifth and sixth before allowing the tying run on a single, two walks and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
“He threw the ball good for two innings and then kind of lost the strike zone,” Snitker said.
“We’ ve just got to be more consistent with things throughout the entire outing — keep the whole thing together for longer, I guess you could say.”
The Red Sox won with two runs in the eighth inning off nonroster invitee reliever Connor Johnstone.
Next up: Charlie Morton is scheduled to make his second start of the spring when the Braves play the Baltimore Orioles in Sarasota tonight. Morton pitched three shutout innings March 7 vs. Boston.