Road to the Show: Brayden Wiley, LHP

[12]

Braves beat the Suns 4-3
Wiley gets first career start, causes benches to clear

By Luke Johnson

The Mississippi Braves are looking to start a new winning streak after last night's win over the Jacksonville Suns in Jacksonville. The team looked fired up after a controversial sixth inning.

The Braves won 4-3 and are only one game out of first place. The Braves improved to 11-13, gaining a game on the first place Suns (12-12).

Brayden Wiley, who previously worked out of the bullpen, got his first professional start. Wiley cruised through the first three innings, striking out four while walking one. He struck out heralded prospect Mike Stanton on four pitches in the second inning.

The Braves struck first when Jordan Schafer hit a 2-run home run off of Suns' starter Chad James in the fourth inning. It was Schafer's fourth home run of the season and it gave the Braves a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, after getting the first out of the inning, Wiley walked Matt Dominguez. Wiley then answered back by striking out Stanton again. He then gave up a towering two-run home run to Suns' first baseman Mark Saccomanno, his third of the season.

At the end of four, the score was nodded at 2-2.

Schafer came up again in the fifth, and on the first pitch, he was hit with a Chad James' fastball. A warning was issued to James and the Suns' bench. James then sat the Braves down in order.

The sixth inning was when the fireworks began.

Wiley was cruising at this point. He had given up two runs and five hits in the first four innings, but had retired seven batters in a row. The first two Suns' players to come up in the inning were retired in order.

Chad James came to the plate with no one on and two outs in the inning. On the very first pitch, Wiley threw a 93 MPH fastball that hit the Suns' pitcher in the right leg. James threw his bat in disgust and began to charge the mound. Braves' catcher Benji Johnson tried holding James back.

Both benches cleared.

"It was madness," said Braves' Manager Rocket Wheeler.

Wiley and James were both ejected.

Wiley finished the game with a line of 5.2 innings pitched, five hits, two earned runs, two walks and seven strikeouts. He threw 74 pitches. He lowered his season ERA to 2.91. He got a no-decision.

When the situation was diffused, Braves' pitcher Randall Delgado entered the game and struck out the Suns' lead off hitter.

The Suns' would take the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In the top of the ninth, Jordan Schafer struck again, hitting a towering 2-out, 2-run home run off of Suns' closer Taylor Tankersley.

In the bottom of the ninth, Braves' closer Stephen Marek sat the Suns down in order to secure the win. It was his sixth save of the season.

Schafer finished the night 2-3 with two home runs and four runs-batted-in. Mycal Jones finished 2-3 and a stolen base.

After the game, Wiley was asked if hitting James was intentional.

"If you knew the game, you'd know better than to ask that question," replied Wiley. "I don't like cheap shots. If a guy takes you deep, you don't hit him in his next at-bat. I think it's complete chicken [expletive]. I understand that's baseball sometimes, but you'll never catch me doing that. I'd rather get the guy out next time. If I'm on the mound and you take cheap shots at one of my teammates, it will come back on you. That's the way I operate."

When asked if he was the one who told Wiley to retaliate, Manager Rocket Wheeler took the defensive.

"No. No. Luke, that's a stupid question," said Wheeler.

Jordan Schafer had a different take.

"Wiley showed us a lot out there today," said Schafer. "He was pretty filthy. He has great stuff. His fastball was lively and his curve had some real bite. He's going to be good, but if you're opposing him, I probably wouldn't piss him off," laughed Schafer.

"I could hear that ball hitting James' flesh from left field," joked Schafer.

The Braves and Suns will finish their series up tomorrow at 1:05.

Scott Diamond (0-2, 8.15 ERA) will take the hill for the Braves and will be opposed by Brad Stone (2-0, 0.92 ERA).

[12]

Just one of the guys...

Brayden sat at his locker after the game, flipping through ESPN the Magazine. He had just talked to Luke Johnson, that hack who covered the team. The question was a stupid one, and Brayden thought he should choose his words carefully. He decided to give Luke a straight forward and honest answer. He didn't deserve it, but Brayden wasn't going to let this guy get to him. He never had anything good to say about him in his articles, so why did it matter now?

He felt like he pitched a good game, but there were mistakes. His control was better, but he was still leaving the ball up in the strike zone. His parents couldn't make his start, but had watched it on the television back home. He was sure Peyton was at his house. He had talked to his parents briefly after the game, but told them he'd call them later. He had wondered what they thought about the bench clearing brawl - his mom wouldn't understand, but his dad and Peyton undoubtedly did.

Jordan Schafer had a locker right next to Brayden's. He had heard what he said to the reporter, and he was impressed. Usually, the team would give a pitcher a certain look after they were plunked with a pitch, especially when the beaning was clearly done in retaliation. The look said, "Our turn." This time, however, the players didn't do or say anything to him.

They wanted to see how he would respond, and he passed. With flying colors.

Schafer was impressed with the kid's answer. Pretty ballsy, he thought. I actually think I like this kid. He threw a good game out there today.

"Hey Brayden," said Schafer. "You pitched a great game out there today. I appreciate the back up, too. I'm surprised how you answered the reporter's question, though."

"Hey, thanks," replied Brayden. "I was nervous out there. I made some mistakes, but it was a good day. About that writer, it seems he has kind of had it in for me since the beginning of the season. I guess I'm just too honest."

"Good deal. Anyway, some of the guys are going out to dinner tonight. You should come. What do you do on the road?" asked Schafer.

"I'd love to. I don't do much of anything," said Brayden.

"Look, I know no one has really talked to you yet," said Schafer. "It's not that we don't like you. We don't know you. Some of us were a bit peeved that the Braves brought you up this soon. Don't take that personal. We had just never heard of you. You're pretty quiet. You proved yourself today."

Brayden smiled, and for only the second or third time, a teammate had patted him on the back.

"Welcome to the club rook," said Schafer.

[12]

Brayden's second start wasn't as good as his first, though he didn't pitch that horribly.

The Braves were at home against the Birmingham Barons.

Like the Braves, the Barons were struggling. Both teams were 13-15 heading into the game, but both teams were only two games out of first.

Brayden started strong, limited the Barons to just two hits over the first three innings. He had struck out six, but walked three. His command wasn't sharp, but his fastball was getting him out of a lot of jams. The Braves' offense wasn't doing much, so he knew he would have to limit the damage.

He finished his night with one out in the sixth. He had given up two runs to that point, but he had walked another hitter and given up two hits. The previous inning, he had given up three hits but struck out the side with the bases loaded and no outs.

His line:

5.1 innings, 9 hits, 4 runs (all earned), 4 walks and 9 strikeouts.

The Braves lost the game, 6-4.

He was now 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA.

He tried not to get down on himself. He pitched well for the most part. He had a two-inning stretch of giving up 5 hits. Jared Mitchell, the Barons' center fielder and lead off hitter, had gotten 3 of those hits. He was an absolute monster on the bath paths, too.

What was up with all the hits? He had given up 36 hits in 30 innings. He had struck out 27 hitters and walked 10, and his WHIP was at 1.53. To him, the numbers were ugly. His command wasn't there for the most part. He was getting a lot of bullpen sessions and he was in the starting rotation. He'd get it going.

Tom Watts, the scout who had trained him the previous summer, had watched every single pitch that Brayden had thrown this year.

Watts thought that his fastball was great. It had come a long way since last summer, when Brayden was topping out at 88 miles per hour. Now, his average fastball was 91.6 miles per hour and he had hit 94 on the gun on more than one occasion over his first two starts. The movement was decent, but Watts knew his fastball would continue to get better.

His sweeping curve ball could be ridiculously filthy - when it was on. When it wasn't, he hung it way too much and he was getting killed because of it. It could be his best pitch, but it was often his worst. It just depended on the day.

His slider was his worst pitch, but Watts felt that he could end up being his best.

The kid just needed time. He needed a dominant performance. His next scheduled start was on the road, against the Chattanooga Lookouts on May 13. Watts had decided that he'd fly to Tennessee to see the kid in person.

[12]

Wiley gets first career win as Braves beat Lookouts, 3-1
Braves pull within a game of first

By Luke Johnson

The Braves won their second game in a row last night in Chattanooga, as the pitching performance of Brayden Wiley was a thing of beauty.

Wiley (1-2) won his first professional start for the Braves, who are now 16-18 on the season and find themselves only a game out of first place in the South Division.

Wiley was in control throughout the game, and did not give up a run in his 6 innings of work. He only surrendered three hits, while walking 2 and striking out 8.

For the season, Wiley is now 1-2 with a 2.81 ERA. He has 36 strikeouts in 35.2 innings pitched.

"I felt good out there," said Wiley after the game. "My fastball had life and my curve had bite. It's nights like these when I feel I belong."

When asked about how it felt to get his first professional win, Wiley chuckled.

"It feels great. I have great teammates. I love this team, this organization. They took a chance on me and it's my job to make sure it pays off. I will continue to work, continue to get better," said Wiley.

Wiley was also big with the stick, as he finished 2-3 with 2 singles and an RBI.

"It was cool to sort of help my own cause out there."

Mitch Jones led the hitting attack for the Braves, finishing 3-4 with a home run and 2 RBI's.

Wiley will get his next start on Saturday against West Tennessee. The Diamond Jaxx are currently in first place in the North Division with a 28-8 record.

Michael Pineda (5-0, 3.30 ERA) will get the start for West Tennessee.

Game time is 1:05 PM.

[12]

Diamond Jaxx improve to a league best 30-8, beat Braves, 3-2
Wiley pitches well, but Jaxx prevail

By Luke Johnson

Another start is in the books for Braves' starting pitcher Brayden Wiley.

Wiley, who had just come off his first professional win against the Lookouts, was saddled with the tall order of shutting down the Diamond Jaxx' big bats in Jackson yesterday.

For the most part, he succeeded. It was a familiar tale as Wiley got little run support, despite a solid outing.

Wiley went 5.2 innings, allowing 5 hits and one run. He walked 3 and tallied 1 K. He left the game with a 1-1 tie.

"I didn't have my best stuff out there today," said a deflated Wiley after the game. "The numbers don't look bad, but they often don't tell the story. I felt my command was pretty bad. It's something I need to continue to work on."

Wiley got a no-decision.

Michael Pineda lived up his billing as one of the top young pitching prospects in baseball. He got a no-decision as well, but pitched a gem. He finished with a line of 7 innings, 2 hits, 1 run (unearned), walked 1 and struck out 8.

Dustin Ackley, the Diamond Jaxx' second baseman, went 3-4 in the game and raised his league leading batting average to .382. He had two doubles, a single and stole 2 bases.

Offensively, Mycal Jones led the Braves with a 1-4 line. It was truly a horrid day for the Braves' at the dish.

The Diamond Jaxx won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a single by Alex Liddi that scored Ackley.

Stephen Marek took the loss.

The Braves (17-19, two games back) will have four games remaining in the series with the Jaxx before heading to Huntsville.

[12]

Wow! Wiley dominant as Braves beat Huntsville, 3-1
Fans 13 in win

By Luke Johnson

Suddenly, it all came together.

Braves' lefty Brayden Wiley has been brilliant pretty much all season long, but last night against Huntsville, he seemingly set the bar even higher.

Wiley dominated Huntsville's line up all night, in route to striking out 13 hitters.

He never got himself into any real trouble. In the first, Huntsville led the inning off with a double. The next pitch resulting in a single, giving them a 1-0 lead.

It became a nightmare from there.

At the end of the night, here's what you saw:



It has been a long time since the Braves have seen a performance such as this.

"I had everything working," said Wiley. "I'm not usually arrogant, but man, they couldn't hit me tonight. I feel it's the best I've ever pitched."

Arrogant? When you fan 13 hitters and walk none, and only give up four hits, you have some room for tooting your own horn.

Now the Southern League has a big problem on their hands.

Wiley is now 2-2 on the season with a 2.54 ERA. He has 49 strikeouts in 49.2 innings pitched and has only walked 15. For the kid who most thought had command issues, he sure didn't have any on this night.

"He can be as good as he wants to be," said Braves' Manager Rocket Wheeler. "It was fun to just sit back and watch that performance tonight. You don't see too many of those at this level."

It is not debatable that Wiley has become this team's ace. The Braves will need him to pitch like this if they hope to make the playoffs.

Mycal Jones had two spectacular defensive plays that kept Wiley out of hot water. The shortstop also finished with four hits and scored all three of the team's runs. Jordan Schafer had two hits and two RBI's on the night and that's all Wiley would need.

The Braves (20-21) continue their series against Huntsville tomorrow at 4:35.

[12]

"I guess it's the age we live in."

Tom Watts didn't want to make the phone call, but he felt he had to.

He had watched Brayden's recent start against Huntsville. He was brilliant. Watts had never really seen anything like it. He had everything working for him. 13 strikeouts. Watts had been wrong about him. Originally, he thought if the kid were to make it, he'd live on keeping the ball down and inducing ground balls. Six months ago, his velocity lacked and his command needed a lot of work.

What he saw on the mound tonight was something entirely different.

The question he had to ask Brayden was one that might offend him. I guess it's the age we live in, thought Watts. He had hated the steroids era and wished baseball hadn't turned a blind eye to it. How many fans had the game lost? How many fathers and sons missed out on going to the ballpark together because to a lot of them, baseball had turned into a joke?

They were testing heavily now, but Watts knew that there were still ways around it. He had heard things.

Wiley had gained five miles per hour on his fastball in six or seven months. Even for an 18-year-old kid, that wasn't typical. How did he do it? His 210 pound frame had looked better, too. Wiley was lanky last summer, now he looked like a chiseled vet. Watts just couldn't shake the suspicion, so he had to find out for himself.

"Hey Brayden! Great game yesterday, bud. You were dominant out there! When you get this message, call me back. It's important. This is Tom, by the way."

Brayden had missed the phone call because he was out on a dinner date with a girl that he had met after his first start. He liked her. He didn't know if it would go anywhere, but he had fun with her.

He checked the message and called Tom back. He answered on the first ring.

"Hey Tom," said Brayden.

"That was fast," replied Tom. "Shouldn't you be out celebrating?"

"Already did. Just got in a little early. So you saw the game today?" asked Brayden.

"I did. Great performance. You'll remember this one for a long time," said Tom.

"I've been working hard. It all paid off tonight," replied Brayden. "I've pitched okay ever since I was put into the rotation, but not great. Tonight, I felt like I showed the Braves what I could do."

"Right. That's right, kid. Well hey, the purpose of my call is uncomfortable, and maybe I should do it in person, but I can't get down to Pearl for at least two weeks..."

"What is it?" asked Brayden.

"Ah, kid, this is tough for me, but you know me. I'm a straight shooter, so I'm going to put it out there. You haven't been taking anything, have you? We talked about performance enhancing drugs before," continued Watts. "Have you touched them? Be straight with me, kid."

"What the...? Tom, are you serious? Why would you think that? Because I'm doing well? I'm honestly offended," replied Wiley.

"Damn it kid, toughen up," said Watts. "It's nothing personal. I don't think you are taking anything, but man, your fastball. 94 on the gun last night? Are you kidding me?"

"My fastball has always been legit," said Wiley. "Remember, I got hurt last year. My last start in high school, I hit 96 on the gun. I thought you would have done your research," said Wiley.

"I did. Kid, I'm sorry. Maybe it's just tough to believe how well you're doing, but I do wish you'd just answer the question and put my mind at ease."

"Well, I eat a protein bar a day. I work out hard. If you want to call those 'performance enhancing,' then yeah, I've taken them. Anything illegal or even remotely dangerous? No, Tom. Come on."

"Good. Keep it that way, and have a great birthday next week. Don't you start on your birthday?"

"Yeah," said Wiley, clearly still miffed from the question.

"Knock 'em dead."

Wiley hung up.

He didn't understand how Tom could even think that. Wiley promised himself long ago that he would never cheat. Hell, one time he accidentally spit on the ball, and he threw it to the ump to get a new one. His only edge was his preparation. He didn't need steroids, and it hurt that Tom had asked.

[HARLEE23]

Woah! Someone is a beast!