The Braves tried something different with JR Ritchie against the Cardinals, and for the most part, it paid off.
Atlanta went with an opener, a move the club hasn’t leaned on much in recent years and one that naturally invited skepticism given the questions already hanging over Ritchie’s ability to handle a rotation spot. Danny Young handled the opening frame, though not especially well, and then Ritchie took over and gave the Braves 4.1 quality innings. He allowed just one hit and one earned run.
By the numbers, that’s a win. Ritchie even called the outing a good step in the right direction.
But the bigger issue didn’t go away.
Ritchie’s problem has been clear for a while: the walks keep piling up, and that’s a tough way to survive in the majors. A 5.5 BB/9 rate isn’t going to hold up, and part of the reason it’s so high is that hitters simply aren’t chasing his pitches out of the zone.
That’s the real red flag. Ritchie sits in the bottom 10th-percentile in the majors in chase rate, which means he’s not getting enough swing-and-miss when he needs it.
If hitters aren’t tempted to expand the zone, he’s forced into a dangerous pattern of having to live in the strike zone just to get contact. That can work only for so long.
When he does try to get batters to chase, especially with his breaking pitches, they’re not biting. That raises the possibility that hitters may be picking up on something, which could help explain why some of his offerings, including the changeup and cutter, have performed much worse than others.
Whatever the reason, Ritchie has to find a way to make hitters respect more than one look. Until that happens, opponents can sit on the pitches they want and ignore the rest. And for a starter trying to stick in the big leagues, that’s a problem that won’t go away just because one outing went well.
In Other News...
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The 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game in Philadelphia gave Braves fans a fresh look at Cam Caminiti, the organizations top pitching prospect, in a setting built for baseballs next wave of talent. The American League rolled to a 6-1 win over the National League, but the showcase was really about the names scattered across the field, with Jess Made, Kade Anderson, Seth Hernandez, Liam Doyle, Leo De Vries, JoJo Parker and Nathan Flewelling all getting a turn in front of a national audience.
Caminiti did his part to keep Atlantas interest alive, working a scoreless inning and striking out one in his outing. The bigger buzz from the game came elsewhere, as Flewelling turned in the kind of moment that can define a showcase like this, leaving Braves followers to track not just how Caminiti looked, but what his brief appearance says about where he stands in the organizations pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
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Ha-Seong Kim will also be in the FCL Braves mix as he starts his own rehab work, giving the club a pair of notable names to monitor at the same level. For Atlanta, the bigger picture is familiar by now: Acuna still changes the lineup when he is available, but every return now carries the lingering question of how long he can stay on the field after so many stops and starts. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Need To Cut Bait On A Veteran Bat Fast
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Dominic Smith has become one of the more obvious names to watch because the bat that looked useful earlier in the season has not stayed at that level. Atlanta has already had to weigh how much value he brings as a designated hitter and outfielder, and the front office could soon have to decide whether the fit is worth keeping around if the offense does not rebound quickly after the break. [Read more 🡒]