PHOENIX _ The Atlanta Braves were reasonably sure that Matt Wisler was ready to return from Triple-A, and they were certain they needed him in their depleted rotation. So they recalled him. And, man, did he make that decision look wise Thursday night.
Wisler took a no-hitter to the seventh inning in a superb performance that led the Braves to a 3-1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which gave them a split of the four-game series at Chase Field.
Wisler gave up two hits, three walks and one run with four strikeouts in eight innings, remarkably the first Braves starter to pitch more than six innings since July 17. Jim Johnson pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 12th save.
In his 40th major league start, Wisler (5-11) allowed two walks through six hitless innings before Paul Goldschmidt led off the seventh with an opposite-field flare single to right. Wisler walked the next batter and gave up an RBI groundout in the only inning that Arizona sent more than four batters to the plate.
It was Wisler's best start since he limited the New York Mets to one hit in eight scoreless innings on May 3 at New York, the first of consecutive eight-inning outings for him back when it looked like he was ready to build on the impressive September he had as a rookie in 2015.
But four weeks later, Wisler began the worst slump, a brutal 10-game stretch that got him sent down to Triple-A.
There had been nothing to suggest such a performance was coming Thursday from the 23-year-old right-hander who had a 3.71 ERA in four starts after being sent to Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing 16 hits in 12 2/3 innings over the last two of those games.
Before being demoted, Wisler was 2-6 with a 7.71 ERA, .328 opponents' average and 16 homers allowed in his last 10 starts for Atlanta, allowing seven or more hits in eight of those games. He had a 10.18 ERA in the last four of those games, with an alarming nine homers surrendered in 20 1/3 innings.
But against the Diamondbacks, a team that began Thursday with the National League's third-highest batting average and fifth-highest OPS, Wisler was on top of his game, poised and in command with Anthony Recker behind the plate. Wisler hit the catcher's mitt where it was placed with most of 90-mph fastballs, complementing that pitch with effective change-ups and sharp sliders that had the Diamondbacks swinging and missing or making mostly weak contact.
Wisler threw 62 strikes in 102 pitches. He walked the second batter of the game, former Brave Michael Bourn, then retired the next seven before walking Jean Segura with two out in the third.
The next batter to reach after Segura was Chris Owings, who led off the fifth with a grounder that bounced off the glove of shortstop Dansby Swanson, who then rushed a high throw to first base.
Owings was immediately erased when Brandon Drury grounded into a double play, and Wisler struck out two batters in a perfect sixth inning. At that point he had faced two batters over the minimum.
