Braves improvise rotation after rainout

ATLANTA -- Accounting for Mike Soroka's unexpected trip to the disabled list and Thursday night's game being postponed, the Braves opted to rush Matt Wisler to Atlanta to make a spot start that could have also been made by Max Fried, who was already in town.
It was a confusing turn of events that did not necessarily become easier to understand when Braves manager Brian Snitker said the team had been planning for a few days to have Wisler pitch during Friday night's 2-0 loss to the Marlins at SunTrust Park.

This would have been easier to buy had Wisler not just toured the Great Lakes Region. He bussed from Columbus, Ohio, to Toledo with his Triple-A Gwinnett teammates early Thursday afternoon. He then boarded a flight that landed in Atlanta a little more than four hours before he was scheduled to deliver his first pitch against the Marlins.
The hectic turnaround did not create any adverse effect for Wisler, who limited the Marlins to two runs over 5 1/3 innings. Both runs came courtesy of three consecutive one-out hits in the sixth.

Wisler's arrival led to a relief appearance by Luiz Gohara, who completed 1 2/3 scoreless innings and then learned he'll make his first start of the season on Wednesday in Philadelphia. But this option would have also been available had the game been started by Fried, who traveled to Toledo to join Gwinnett on Friday.
"I think we thought that [Fried] was getting farther detached from the last time he pitched and Wisler's been throwing good," Snitker said before the game.

Fried was scheduled to start in place of Soroka before Thursday night's game against the Cubs was postponed. The Braves were willing to give him this start because it was his day to pitch. But their preference at this stage of his development is to have him consistently make starts at the Minor League level.
Had the Braves started Fried, they would have used two southpaws (Sean Newcomb included) and a right-hander during this series against the Marlins, who have been more effective against southpaws this season. The Braves could have simply given Newcomb Friday's start with regular rest. But they've been happy with the results they've gained by consistently giving their starters an extra day. Newcomb has posted a 1.98 ERA in the six starts he has made with an extra day of rest. His only normal rest start this year was completed Sunday, when he limited the Marlins to one hit over six scoreless innings.

Newcomb will now start on Saturday. This puts the Boston area native in line to start Friday night's game against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Soroka is slated to make a rehab start next week. If his sore right shoulder reacts well, he could return to the Braves' rotation at some point the following week.
After Gohara starts Wednesday's game, he plans to travel to Brazil to spend a week with his mother, who underwent heart surgery this week.
Gohara's absence will likely allow Soroka to slip right back into his rotation spot. Then when both are available, the Braves may find themselves making an enviably tough decision.