The Braves had a tumultuous introduction to the gulf coast on Monday as the Rays administered a sound whipping, beating Atlanta by a 14-5 score. The big story was the utter disaster that was Mike Foltynewicz, who again struggled to produce velocity with his fastball. This allowed the Rays to tee off, tagging the right-hander for five runs and three mammoth home runs. This led to Foltynewicz being designated for assignment, which leaves the Atlanta rotation one arm thinner in a season where depth is certain to be tested.
High expectations have followed Wright throughout his Braves tenure, but never have those expectations been such a necessity as they are now. The club was certainly hopeful that Wright would capture a place among the starters this season, but now will rely on the young right-hander to serve as a reliable back-end arm following the designation of Foltynewicz. The talent has never been in question for Wright, but consitency has eluded him throughout his time in both the major and minor leagues. Can those inconsistencies be ironed out over the next two months?
The answer to that question begins with Wright’s first test against the Rays on Tuesday. Tampa Bay is an excellent club with smart, selective hitters. Wright can struggle with command at times, which makes Tuesday an excellent litmus test for the progress that many believe the right-hander has made. He produced an 0-3 record with an 8.69 ERA in 192⁄3 innings in 2019. Obviously the Braves have higher hopes in the present.
Sitting in the low-to-mid 90’s with a two-seam and four-seam fastball, velocity is a weapon for Wright. However, both pitches were hammered last season at the major league level, as were the curveball and changeup. On a positive note, Wright has an excellent slider that had a paltry .200 XWOBA against last season. Hopefully that becomes a larger part of his repertoire, but the fastball(s) will need to show improvement at some point.
Opposing Wright will be Rays right-hander Yonny Chirinos, who has a significantly different approach. Chirinos relies heavily on three pitches: a sinker, a split-finger, and a slider. The split-finger is easily the best of those three offerings, and was utilized on 22% of Chirinos’ pitches last season. Chirinos is not a strikeout pitcher (114 Ks in 1331⁄3 innings last season), but does limit hard contact at an above average rate. Predictive indices such as xBA, xSLG, Barrel%, and Whiff% are not kind to Chirinos, but he has been effective thus far in his major league career, with an ERA nearly a run lower than his xERA.
The youthful Braves lineup will likely breathe a sigh a relief regardless of how lucky Chirinos has been in his career, as his arsenal is vastly inferior to the flame-throwing Tyler Glasnow who struck out nine batters in four innings on Tuesday. Regardless, the Braves will need better pitching from their own starter if they hope to avenge their pitiful showing a night ago.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Monday, July 28, 6:40 p.m. ET
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
TV: Fox Sports Southeast
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan, WNNX 100.5, Braves Radio Network