Not to panic, Atlanta Braves fans, the 0-7 loss from the Braves today seemed to be more of a tune-up for JR Ritchie as he took his first start as a prospect for the Braves (4 IP/ 1 H/ 2 ER/ 4 BB/ 2 K) and playing in his third game in general. His outing today was actually a decent one for his first start.
Though the news of Joey Wentz was a blow to the Braves fans, they’re looking to the usual starters and upcoming prospects to step up when it counts to receive that nod before the season officially starts.
This might not have been the outing that people were hoping for, especially where his command was concerned, however, with the news of Ritchie starting and witnessing his past success, it’s something to add to his portfolio as he continues to develop his pitching arsenal, as he’s mentioned how he wanted to increase it in the past, and has received high praise from a few of the veteran pitchers on the team on his discipline and growth since the start of training.
It’s still very possible that he has the opportunity to gain a spot on the Opening Day roster.
As for the remainder of the lineup…well, let’s say that this looked like the definition of a Spring Training roster without the team’s usual names, facing a prepared Blue Jays lineup led by Dylan Cease.
As mentioned earlier, this was more of a tune-up event that didn’t show much of what the offense could do, but it was a glimpse of what Ritchie had, as well as giving him more reps he’d need to add to his resume before decisions are made for the Opening Day roster.
Tomorrow, the Braves will be taking on the Tampa Bay Rays with Spencer Strider taking the mound.