The Braves often urge patience for their young pitchers. They caution that there will be some good and some bad as the former top prospects try to become legitimate starters in the big leagues.
But since June there has been a lot of awful for right-hander Matt Wisler, and the Braves ran out of patience. The Braves optioned Wisler to Triple-A Gwinnett after the Phillies roughed him up for a 7-5 victory on Thursday at Turner Field.
“I didn’t pitch very well the last month-and-a-half so I know I definitely earned the demotion,” Wisler said. “There’s nothing they can do about that. It’s on me. I’ve got to go fight, go back down there and try to earn my way up.”
The Braves acquired Wisler from the Padres as part of a trade that sent out Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton. He made his big-league debut last June, had a strong finish to the season and started this year on the big-league roster.
Wisler had good results through May but has regressed badly since then. In his last 10 starts Wisler had a 7.71 ERA while allowing 16 home runs, including nine in his last four starts.
“I just look at his stuff and it’s just too good for that to keep happening,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “I think it’s a mindset as much as anything. You’ve got to believe in yourself, you’ve got to have confidence. You attack; you’ve got to be the aggressor.
“It’s a tough business. These (opponents) don’t care how bad you’re going. If they see any sign of weakness all you are doing is adding wood to the fire. He’s just got to get it right and be more aggressive, and you’ve got to make pitches.”
The Phillies hammered Wisler for seven runs (six earned) over five innings with three home runs. They scored five runs in the first inning as the first six batters reached base with four hits, including two home runs, and two walks.
Wisler tied an Atlanta franchise record by allowing six runs or more in four consecutive starts. He shares the record with Mike Minor (2012), John Thompson (2006) and Dick Ruthven (1977).
“The mental state obviously has got to be better, and then pitching from the stretch,” Wisler said. “I think a lot of times I feel pretty good from the windup, I get in a groove. But when I get guys on base sometimes I struggle to limit that damage. The big thing for me is going down there and focusing on getting guys out in the stretch.”
Wisler was the centerpiece of the April 2015 trade that also got the Braves outfielder Cameron Maybin. Baseball America rated Wisler the No. 34 prospect in baseball before the 2015 season.
Now Wisler will go back to the minors to regain the form that had him looking like a major leaguer in the final month last year and during the first two months this season.
“There’s no pressure really down there,” Wisler said. “I can just go down there and get my work in and not care about the pressure as much. Up here, you’ve got to try to win ballgames. Down there if I give up four runs when I’m trying to work on something I don’t really care.”
