Shane Carle made the Braves bullpen in part because those around him foundered, but he’s making his case to stick around.
After Julio Teheran’s disastrous 2 1/3 innings concluded, Carle spared the Braves from sweating out an 8-5 lead from the third inning on.
They defeated the Nationals 13-6, with Carle earning his first major-league win. And in doing so, strengthening his candidacy as the team’s lead long-reliever.
“First couple years I began my career as a starter,” Carle said. “I’d always thrown a lot of pitches. I think getting into a long-relief role kind of fit my repertoire, my style. But then again, I’m willing to do anything to help the team win. So whatever role they give me, I try to do my job.”
Carle extinguished the fire, allowing just one Nationals hit in 3 1/3 innings. He had two strikeouts against one walk, and stranded the three runners he inherited in a delicate situation.
Up 8-5, Teheran exited with the bases loaded and one out. Carle got Miguel Montero to line out and opposing pitcher A.J. Cole – who homered off Teheran in the second inning – to pop out to second.
“I’m just trying to execute one pitch at a time,” he said. “Usually if you take care of that, good things happen.”
Carle took the loss in his first outing, but appeared solid nonetheless. The 26-year-old pitched two extra-innings against the Phillies, allowing two hits and what’d become the game-winning run.
The Braves’ bullpen held opponents to a .190 average entering Tuesday’s game. Carle wasn’t thought to be among the more reliable arms in the unit, but he’s earning his manager’s trust.
“That was huge,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Carle escaping the bases-loaded third. “Anytime someone comes in in that situation and stretches the game like he did, that’s big for the bullpen, the team, everything. That was big.”
But small sample size or not, he’s shown enough to warrant an extended look. His strong start is piggybacked off a solid spring in which he earned a 3.77 ERA, striking out five and walking three in 14 1/3 innings.
“It was one of the better springs I’ve had,” Carle said. “It felt good. I know I was competing with a lot of other guys. But like I said, just try to worry about executing pitches and the rest will take care of itself.”
