Braves turn to JR Ritchie for game 1 in Miami

"The Braves had a solid 4-2 homestand, winning both series and will now take a quick 4 game road trip to Miami before returning home. This would be a nice time to get greedy and take 3 or 4 from this series against the offensively challenged Marlins."

"For game 1 today, they will send JR Ritchie to the mound, facing Max Meyer from the Marlins. JR has gotten pretty lucky to have not been crushed so far this season, as he's struggled with walks. He has been a bit caught up with the Braves' bullpen depth issue and been left in too long a few times. He hasn't really done much impressive on the whole over his four starts, although he has done decently to prevent hard contact."

"For Ritchie to be viable longer term, the strikeouts will have to increase and the walks will have to dramatically decrease. He has a sub-par offense to deal with today, so hopefully he can build on a decent 4.1 inning outing last time out and give the Braves a solid start with some length."

"Max Meyer on the other side is a former #3 overall pick from 2020, but has yet to make much of that talent at the major league level, posting three replacement-level seasons before having the beginning of what may be a breakout this year. Meyer has also struggled to remain healthy, but that shouldn't mean anything to us today. Meyer has made things work with a 78th percentile K% and a 55th percentile BB%, despite somewhat below average contact metrics. He pitches primarily off of his slider and sweeper, which have been devastating this season."

The Braves finished a four-game homestand with a 4-2 record, winning both series, and will travel to Miami for a four-game road trip before returning home. The first game features JR Ritchie on the mound against Max Meyer. Ritchie has struggled with walks and has not shown standout results across four starts, though he has limited hard contact and previously logged 4.1 innings. For Ritchie to be viable longer term, strikeouts must rise and walks must fall. Meyer, a former third overall pick, has had replacement-level seasons but is beginning a potential breakout. He has produced a strong strikeout and walk profile despite contact metrics, using a mid-90s fastball and primarily relying on a devastating slider and sweeper, supported by a changeup and sinker.

Read at Battery Power