ATLANTA — As soon as Steven Matz saw his sinker miss the strike zone for Ball 4, he turned and grimaced. He had loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth inning of a one-run game. He stomped around the mound, picked up the rosin bag for a moment and immediately hurled it down. He looked upset, as if he knew that he knew better.
On the next pitch, Matz threw another sinker, with the opposing pitcher Matt Wisler at bat, and induced an inning-ending groundout. Matz had escaped the jam without allowing any runs, but he so felt the weight of his own expectations, and perhaps the expectations of performing on this team, that he yelled into his glove in frustration on his way off the field.