The Gwinnett Stripers dropped their seventh straight game Thursday night, falling 3-1 to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, but Nathan Wiles gave fans something to smile about.

The right-hander delivered six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits, no walks, and striking out seven in one of his sharpest performances of the season. He kept the Stripers ahead 1-0 through six, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead.

Despite the team’s struggles, Wiles has been a bright spot all year. After this outing, he holds a:

1–4 record
2.33 ERA
46.1 IP, 37 H, 12 ER, 12 BB, 53 SO
.213 opponent batting average
1.06 WHIP
10.3 SO9
2.3 BB9

He has put up these phenomenal numbers while leading Gwinnett in innings pitched.

He’s showing excellent command and efficiency, with a strong 4.42 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Wiles made a brief MLB debut with the Braves earlier this season, logging an inning and his first big-league strikeout.

Nathan Wiles – Promising Acquisition This Spring

Wiles was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this year for cash considerations. At the time, he wasn’t on Tampa’s 40-man roster and had never cracked their top prospect rankings, though he did earn a mention from FanGraphs last summer for his pitch mix and command.

He’s known for locating a 90–94 mph fastball, keeping hitters off balance with a tight cutter, and using a versatile changeup to both righties and lefties.

Over 325+ minor league innings, Wiles has a 4.98 ERA, with solid control (5.0% walk rate) and decent swing-and-miss numbers. Coming into this season, his Triple-A ERA was 5.15 across 227 innings, making this year’s turnaround something to watch closely.

Maybe it’s a mechanical tweak. Perhaps it’s confidence. Maybe it’s just a hot streak. Maybe it’s the thing the Braves saw in him when they acquired him this spring.

We’ll see. But right now, Wiles is dealing — and giving the Braves one more reason to keep him in mind, especially with news that AJ Smith-Shawver is on the IL after hearing a “pop” in his elbow.