Shane Carle was bound to hit a rut at some point, just ask his manager.
Carle was among MLB’s most dominant relievers through mid-May. He owned a 0.72 ERA with 19 strikeouts against six walks in his first 25 innings through May 17.
He wasn’t used as a matchup pitcher either. Eight of his 19 appearances went more than an inning, and he bailed the Braves out of several dangerous situations.
Manager Brian Snitker called Carle the MVP of the team's bullpen. It didn't even seem erroneous to flirt with the thought of Carle as a National League All-Star.
Those days feel further away than a couple weeks. Carle’s posted a 9.00 ERA since, allowing five earned runs on eight hits in five innings (five appearances).
In Wednesday’s game against the Mets, Carle, 26, surrendered a double to Jose Bautista and walked Kevin Plawecki before being replaced by Sam Freeman. Adrian Gonzalez singled Bautista home, tallying a run against Carle.
It was the fourth straight appearance in which Carle was charged with an earned run after going 14 straight outings without allowing an earned run (15-1/3 innings). He’d allowed just two runs across his first 26 innings.
“Just having a hard time finishing hitters off right now,” Snitker said. “But that’s going to happen. He’s been so good that – his stuff was crisp tonight, I liked it. He had some giddy-up on his fastball. Just off a little bit. It’s going to happen.”
Snitker will hope his unwavering confidence provides dividends. Even through his slump, Carle is holding the opposition to a .157 average (8-for-51) with runners on base. With men in scoring position, Carle has held batters to a .097 (3-for-31) mark.
If the Braves are going to continue their surprising push, they’ll need some of the pleasant surprises they received early in the season to continue. A Carle rebound would go a long way in that regard.
