PHILADELPHIA — The Atlanta Braves’ first-year pitching coach, Rick Kranitz, didn’t realize that his rookie pitcher, Kyle Wright, would be making his first major league start on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball.”
“But that’s OK,” he told Yahoo Sports before the Braves’ 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on a very blustery night under the bright lights of a nationally televised game. “Hey, you gotta start someplace.”
The reigning NL East champions turned to two rookies in their first three games against a new and improved Phillies lineup. After acting ace Julio Teheran took the loss in a bullpen implosion on opening day, the Braves started 21-year-old Bryse Wilson on Saturday and 23-year-old Wright on Sunday.