Matt Wisler Implodes in Rays' 5-3 Loss to Brewers, Snapping Interleague Win Streak
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Matt Wisler owned it, because after eight years in the big leagues, he knows that's what needs to be done.
No excuses.
The Tampa Bay reliever, who had allowed just one earned run in his last 12 outings dating back to May 22, got lit up on Tuesday night, and it wasted a great Shane Baz start and cost the Rays a game. He gave up four hits in the sixth inning — including two two-run homers — and the Rays lost to the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3.
The loss snapped the Rays' 10-game winning streak against National League opponents, and Wisler took full responsibility.
"Obviously, you never want to blow a game,'' said the 29-year-old Wisler, who's been pitching in the big leagues since 2015. "Obviously, too, you know their bullpen is pretty good and those runs are going to be tough to come by against them, Obviously, not giving us a chance to win a game is probably the worst thing we can do, and obviously, it didn't go our way tonight, or my way tonight.''
Obviously.
Wisler said nothing was really different for this outing. He said he felt good, but just didn't execute his pitches well enough, especially on the home runs balls by Andrew McCutcheon and Luis Urias.
"I think the biggest thing for me is I thought I just got a little too much plate on those. The slider felt good today coming out of the hand, everything felt good, just too much plate for those,'' Wisler said. "The 0-0 slider (to Urias), we preach throwing strikes and I was just trying to get ahead on guys, and obviously they put some pretty good swings on the ball today. For me, it's just focusing on finishing the ball up a little better.
"Yeah (it happened fast). A second-pitch slider, and a first-pitch homer, it didn't take too long. No, honestly, I felt pretty good today. I just wasn't getting the ball glove-side enough. If I had one thing to focus on, it would be that. The ball was catching a little too much of the plate. I felt decent, I just didn't execute enough.''
In Wisler's last 12 outings in the past five weeks, he had allowed only one run and five hits in 13 1/3 innings, good for an 0.66 earned run average. Baz, who was making his fourth start after missing two months following elbow surgery, had throws a career-high 95 pitches with two outs in the sixth, and Rays manager Kevin Cash no problem in relying on Wisler to get out of the inning.
"Wis has been so good for us certainly this season, and since we acquired him (in 2021),'' Cash said. "It just came together really fast. They handled the breaking ball and got it up in the air and hit a couple of home runs with the double in between.
"We felt confident with Wis on McCutcheon, it just didn't work. It looked like Milwaukee had a good approach. It's not a big secret what he's doing, He's going to throw his breaking ball and he's going to throw it a lot. Generally there's a little more deception and a little extra bite in there that throws hitters off. Sometimes you've got to tip your hat to them. We have a lot of confidence him and we'll get him right back out there.''
Baz walked off the mound with a 1-0 lead in the sixth. He had never thrown more than 76 pitches this year, and topped out at 82 in his second of three starts last year.
"I thought Shane threw the ball really well,'' Cash said. ''I was excited to see him bounce back, I still don't think it was coming easy for him early on, just didn't feel like he could find his rhythm, but he'll get there.
"We've stayed right around 80. He got the big pitch to (Rowdy) Tellez right there for the strikeout, and then we were confidence in turning to Wis. There are still things we are talking about, but 95 pitches and 5 2/3 is still a little high.''
It also didn't help that the Rays' bats were quiet. Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff retired the side in order the first three innings, and the Rays finally got to him in the fourth with a lead-off double from Yandy Diaz and a two-out RBI single from Randy Arozarena.
But that was all they got off of him. Woodruff left after five innings, throwing 76 pitches. The four-run barrage off of Wisler — the most runs he's allowed since Sept. 12, 2019, when he was pitching for the Seattle Mariners — gave the Brewers a 4-1 lead, and then they added one more off of Ralph Garza Jr. in the eighth, his second inning of work.
The Rays battled back in the bottom of the eighth, with Brett Phillips and Yandy Diaz both walking to open the inning, and then advancing on a passed ball. Phillips scored on a Wander Franco sacrifice fly and Diaz scored on a Harold Ramirez groundout to first. Arozarena singled again, and Isaac Paredes walked, but Josh Lowe grounded out to second to end the threat.
Milwaukee closer Josh Hader got his 23rd save of the season — the most in baseball — striking out Taylor Walls, Vidal Brujan and Francisco Mejia in the ninth.
The Rays had been dominant in interleague play this season, going 10-1 before Tuesday night. The two teams will play again on Wednesday, with an early 12:10 p.m. ET matinee.
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Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.