R-Braves Wentz sets career high with nine K's

From the get-go Saturday night, Joey Wentz and catcher Lucas Herbert were in sync, and whatever pitch the backstop was calling, the No. 13 Braves prospect was throwing. 
Wentz (4-3) fanned a career-high nine and allowed one hit and one walk in Class A Rome's 5-1 win over Columbia at Spirit Communications Park. 

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The left-hander has developed a strong rapport with the Braves' 28th-ranked prospect, who has been behind the plate for eight of Wentz's 15 starts and three of his victories. 
"I love throwing to Herb," Wentz said. "I threw to him in Spring Training and obviously thrown to him quite a bit this year. All of our catchers call great games. But I love throwing to Herb. We get on the same page.
"When we're out there, I don't shake often or at all, really. Tonight, he was calling a lot of fastballs and I was able to throw them. I trust him a lot." 
The 40th overall pick in the 2016 Draft is tied for ninth in the South Atlantic League with 80 punchouts. Wentz has completed six innings in three of his last four starts, something the 19-year-old looks to accomplish each time he toes the rubber. 
"It's a good feeling," the Lawrence, Kansas, native said. "Our bullpen has done a good job, I've definitely put them in spots this year where they're coming into the game in the fourth inning and getting me out of jams.
"Every time I pitch, I have the mentality that I'm going to go deep into the game and try to give them a break. It feels good to go six innings and do a good job." 

Mixing in the occasional off-speed pitch with his fastball, Wentz retired the first eight batters, five via strikeout. With one out in the third, Ian Strom walked and No. 7 Mets prospectAndrés Giménez reached on a bunt. The Kansas high school product danced out of danger when he fanned Arnaldo Berrios and got Jacob Zanon to fly out. 
"I don't think about that too much when I'm out there," Wentz said of the jam. "No matter if no one's on, if people are on, I just try to execute my pitch and I can live with the results. It's the pitches you don't execute that something happens that you wish you could get back, but tonight felt good." 
Wentz recorded three consecutive perfect innings to cap his night, and finished with 58 strikes among 85 pitches. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound hurler had a new personal best for strikeouts, but was most impressed by his ability to follow the game plan. 
"As long as I'm getting good outs, making pitches, good things will happen," Wentz said. "Tonight was one of those nights where I was able to execute pitches and I was able to get some swing-and-misses and some called strikes. I knew [about the strikeouts], but it's not a big deal to me. As long as I can give my team a chance to go out there and compete, that's what matters to me."
While pitching in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast and Appalachian leagues in 2016, Wentz amassed a 3.68 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 44 innings. Through 15 starts and 71 1/3 innings this year, he's compiled a 3.03 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, good for second on the team in both categories behind 24th-ranked Braves prospect Bryse Wilson.

"I don't have any personal goals [for the rest of the year]," Wentz said. "My goal every game is to go out and compete for the team, and I know if I do that I'm doing my job. ... The main goal is to go out there every five days, try to pitch well, stay healthy, stay strong. I think if I do what I'm supposed to do between starts and keep my head down, keep the course and trust it, then good things will happen." 
Herbert finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Austin Bush singled in two runs for Rome.
No. 4 Mets prospect Thomas Szapucki (1-2) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts over six innings for Columbia.