![]() Winkler had been so good in the early going that Braves manager Brian Snitker decided to use him in temporary closer duties along with Minter when Vizcaino first went on the DL in June. Just getting back to basics of why we were so successful in the first place.” And I think I can say that for everybody – Shane and Sammy, everybody down there. “It was really hard for me, so now it’s just getting back to the basics and getting back to what made me good. ![]() “I’ll admit that I kind of was at a high, and I thought that I was trying to do too much to get on the All-Star team,” he said. 855 opponents OPS with 15 strikeouts, five walks and three homers allowed in 16-2/3 innings. In 18 appearances in June and July, Winkler has a 6.48 ERA. That was before his performance took a sharp turn. He was so dominant there was talk of possible All-Star consideration. 397 opponents OPS and 34 strikeouts with six walks and no homers in 23-1/3 innings. 682 opponents OPS in 23 appearances since then, before a scoreless inning Monday.īut none had quite the disparity in early and recent performances as Winkler, who had a 0.77 ERA in 25 games through the end of May, with a. 487 opponents OPS in 20 appearances through May 19 and a 4.08 ERA and. ![]() Shane Carle, a 26-year-old rookie, had a 0.69 ERA and. Other Braves relievers have struggled to varying degrees, including lefty Sam Freeman, who has a 5.06 ERA and 24 walks in 37-1/3 innings after posting a 2.55 ERA and 27 walks in 60 innings 2017. Minter moved into the closer role in place of Arodys Vizcaino, who’s on the disabled list for the second time with recurring shoulder issues and isn’t likely to return for at least another month. Another possibility that has been considered is adding a starter and having one of the team’s rookie left-handers, Luiz Gohara or Max Fried, move into a bullpen role to fill a gap that has been created since lefty A.J. It’s a need that could be addressed before the trade deadline if general manager Alex Anthopoulos can pull off a trade for a reliever or two. If they’re to earn a postseason berth, the Braves will need bullpen work similar to what they got in the first two months of the season. The Braves’ bullpen brought it in without incident during the final three innings. Newcomb improved to 7-1 with a 1.95 ERA in 11 starts following a Braves loss, the best winning percentage in the majors among pitchers with at least 10 such starts and the second-lowest ERA to Jacob deGrom’s 1.45. He’s the reason we’ve got a chance to play meaningful games in September.” There’s not many words to describe what Charlie’s been doing. Ozzie’s gone down the last couple of days, and he’s just picked it right up. “When Ronald (Acuña) went down, he went to left field and kept it going. “He’s the MVP of our team,” Freeman said of Culberson. ![]() Winkler gave up two hits, including a Bryce Harper solo homer in the eighth inning of the Braves’ 6-2 loss at Washington on Sunday, after Luke Jackson allowed three hits and a run in the seventh inning and after Sam Freeman gave up a run-scoring single to Harper in the sixth inning - the first batter the left-hander faced after replacing starter Mike Foltynewicz in what was a 3-2 game at the time.Ĭharlie Culberson had a career-high four hits Monday night in Miami. “But like I said, I’d rather have the struggles now and go into August, September and October at my best than struggle then.” “Exactly,” said Winkler, whose recent individual woes have mirrored those of the Braves’ bullpen in general, all chronicled so pervasively that the amiable pitcher deleted social media from his phone so he couldn’t see comments if tempted to take a quick glance. ![]() Last year when I was rehabbing I had some struggles, but it was a lot different.”ĭifferent in that those rough rehab outings generally came in front of sparse crowds at minor league stadiums, not 30,000 or more fans watching a Braves team that is competing for first place in the National League East. “I would say 2012 was probably the last time I really failed on a baseball field. “That was off the field this is on the field,” Winkler said, comparing his recent performance to the rehab rigors following two major elbow surgeries in two years, the second of which was considered career-threatening at the time. And yet that hasn’t made it any easier to handle what he’s dealing with now - the worst stretch of pitching in the 28-year-old rookie’s life, a slump only made more glaring by the fact it followed immediately after the best two months of his professional career. Which is to say, the Braves reliever has been through some things. There was no protruding bone, but there was pain. ![]()
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