Kyle Wright completed his second rehab start tonight as he aims to come back before the end of the season. However, this was not what the Braves were hoping for after a very promising first outing with the Rome Braves last week in which he tossed three scoreless frames in under 30 pitches.
This was Wright’s first appearance against some better competition in Gwinnett. The night started with a nicely struck single to centerfield, but Wright was bailed out later in the inning after the runner attempted to steal second base and was thrown out by a country mile for the second out of the inning. He then walked Lars Nootbaar, but it didn’t lead to anything, as Wright would strike out the next batter he faced, which was the most impressive he looked all night.
The real trouble came in the second inning. Once again, it began with a hard struck single, this time to left field. Wright then nearly gave up a home run on a shot to centerfield, but it was snagged right in front of the wall, before forcing a groundout to Vaughn Grissom for the second out.
This is where it gets ugly. Wright would walk the next batter, and you could see the frustration on his face, which only worsened after he gave up a double that was just out of reach of the right fielder’s glove, leading to two runs and his eventual exit.
Wright’s final line: 1.2 innings, 3 earned runs, 3 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeouts, 31 pitches
The results don’t matter one bit. His breaking ball was erratic and the heater wasn’t as lively as we’ve seen in the past, but Wright’s just getting the feel for things as he faces live opponents for the first time in months.
However, I was hoping for him to go a little deeper into the game. He threw 26 pitches last time out and only tossed 31 tonight. He’s going to need at least a few more starts before he can get to Atlanta. With only a month left in the season, it’s hard to imagine him getting back until late September. At that point, he’ll have to show a lot against major-league competition if he wants to make an impact in October.
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