For all the noise about the Braves’ depth of pitching to take on the luster of fact, someone like young Kyle Wright is going to have to inspire a little confidence in the back end of the rotation.
Wednesday’s second of two exhibition games against the Miami Marlins – the final tune-up before the Braves open the 60-game regular season in New York on Friday – was Wright’s final audition for just that task.
And how did the depth-finding mission go?
Neither overpowering nor dispiriting, Wright pitched 3-2/3 innings in the 6-2 exhibition loss to the Marlins, yielding two runs, four hits, striking out three, walking three. So-So was not exactly the adjective everyone was looking for.
But it will have to do. “Could have been better – but not bad,” Wright said.
“A couple walks, I feel like my mechanics got away from me a little there,” he added. “I do feel like I did a decent job of coming back through that last inning.”
Credit: Atlanta Braves
His parting statement was a quick strike out of the Marlins’ Miguel Rojas, Braves manager Brian Snitker then lifting Wright in the middle of the half inning on a high note.
“That last hitter I faced, that’s as good as I felt mechanically and in general,” Wright said. “Getting that last hitter, making three good breaking pitches and striking him out is something I’ll take into the next start.”
When that next appearance will be – either a traditional starting assignment or a shorter stint piggybacking off other relievers – is the question.
Wright, the 24-year-old fifth overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been commanding notice. Spring training, what there was of it, was good to him. His manager, who figures to have some say about how the Braves approach those days when the usual suspects in the rotation aren’t available, was warbling his praises throughout this brief summer school at Truist Park.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” manager Brian Snitker said before Wright’s outing Wednesday.
In terms of preparation, Wright may not be quite as far along as the other four perspective starters, but Snitker said, “That’s OK. We knew all that going in three weeks ago when we started this thing. There is nobody we’re going to have who will probably go seven innings. Just add to his building up today.”
Later Wednesday, after Wright’s day was done, Snitker was no less enthusiastic.
“Overall, I thought it was really good,” he said of Wright’s appearance. “The stuff was live. It was a productive outing.”
Meanwhile look who’s raking: Austin Riley, only 23 but already known to show impressive power in surges, hit two home runs Wednesday, the first of which cleared the most yonder center-field fence with laughable ease. As Johan Camargo continues to recover from a strained hamstring, Riley will get the start at third base on opening day Friday.
Turns out the end of rehearsal for the Braves was reserved for the younger cast members. Kids gotta play.
Big picture, how ready then are the Braves, young and old, for this late-July start of a season? No more putting this off anymore, it’s here.
As for his pitchers, Snitker said, “I feel we got everybody stretched out pretty much how we thought we could. I think we’re in good shape where everybody is as far as the work load goes.”
Overall, he added, “We’re as ready as we can be.
“It’s not six weeks of spring training (rather three weeks of summer camp). I’m still concerned about the physicality of what we’re getting into and the limited time we had to prepare.
“I think our guys’ preparation this whole camp went as good as it could. Guys were unbelievable how they worked every day, how they came in from Day 1, how the intrasquad (games) went. I told them we’ll get them in as good a shape as we can under the circumstances. I feel really good about where we’re at.”
