LOS ANGELES – Coming off the best month of his brief and promising career, Matt Wisler has one main goal as he begins June with a series-finale start Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
Don’t let up.
“I think I’ve done a good job of focusing every time I go out there,” said Wisler, who has a 3.16 ERA but only a 2-5 record due primarily to the second-worst run support in the majors (2.37 runs per nine innings). “That’s really my goal is to make sure that I don’t take any games off, take any pitches off. Just try to go out there every game and see what I’ve got. Not cave in if I give up a couple of runs.
“That’s really the main thing this year so far that I’ve felt better about.”
Wisler’s .207 opponents’ batting average ranked seventh among National League starters entering the weekend, one spot behind teammate Julio Teheran (.204). His .265 opponents’ OBP was eighth, two spots ahead of Teheran (.272).
The other thing they had in common was poor run support, with Teheran’s 2.55 runs per nine innings pitched ranked third-lowest in the majors. Teheran is just 1-6 despite a 2.92 ERA.
Wisler, 23, has been steadfast in backing Braves hitters and expressing confidence that things will turn and they’ll eventually start scoring more runs. He never blames anyone but himself if he doesn’t come away with a win, and says despite his recent success he still has much to work on in every aspect of his game.
Still, it’s been impressive to watch his strides since reaching the majors 11 ½ months ago. Wisler is coming off a six-start month of May in which he posted a 2.51 ERA and .206 opponents’ average, allowing three runs or fewer while working at least six innings in each, including four starts of seven or more innings.
He only had a 2-3 record for the month as the Braves scored one or no runs while he was in three of the six games and two runs while he was in another. He won both games in which they scored more than two runs while he was in.
While Wisler had a 4-0 record in five starts in July 2015 during his first full month in the majors, his 3.30 ERA and .252 opponents’ average were significantly higher than his marks in the just-completed May. The difference was run support: The Braves scored four, five and seven runs while he was in three of his four wins in July.
Asked whether the just-finished May was his best month so far, Wisler said, “I think so I had a good September last year. But I felt good in May. I think all my starts were quality (starts), which for me is a pretty big thing. But even with those outings, I probably gave up four or five runs that I shouldn’t have.”
The most significant development in Wisler’s major league career to date came his first start in September 2015, when he got rocked for seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings at Washington. Two days later former manager Fredi Gonzalez had Wisler make a Sept. 5 relief appearance in that same series at Nationals Park, and he responded with two hitless innings.
Wisler said that relief appearance served to clear his head and allow him to air out some fastballs without thinking so much. It began a stretch in which he posted a 2.21 ERA over his final six games (five starts) of 2015.
Beginning with that relief appearances at Washington, Wisler has 2.83 ERA and .211 opponents’ average over his past 17 games (15 starts), with 74 strikeouts and 27 walks in 105 innings.
