The major-league-leading Atlanta Braves will continue to lean on their youthful pitching staff as they look to clinch another series on Wednesday night, this time against the visiting Chicago Cubs.
Entering the potential postseason preview as the top two teams in the National League, the Braves took the series opener 5-2 on Tuesday, thanks in large part to three no-hit innings from 20-year-old reliever Didier Fuentes.
“What a luxury to have a guy that can come in with that kind of power and pitch multiple innings,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “He saved the rest of the bullpen.”
JR Ritchie (1-0, 3.63 ERA), who at 22 is the second-youngest player on the Braves’ active roster, will make the fourth start of his MLB career on Wednesday. The right-hander is undefeated but will have to clean up an issue with walks. Ritchie last pitched on May 4 vs. Seattle, allowing three runs and four hits across five innings and yielding six walks in a no-decision as the Braves lost 5-4.
“The free passes usually come back to hurt you, especially just to start the inning, like he did there with a couple of them,” Weiss said of Ritchie’s last outing. “But the kid has shown the stuff and the moxie to be a really good starter in this league.”
The 35th overall pick by Atlanta in the 2022 draft will face the Cubs for the first time.
Through 42 games, the Braves (29-13) have dropped just one series — losing two of three games against the Mariners last week. Weiss watched from his post as a bench coach last year as Atlanta suffered through an uncharacteristic losing season. Just over a month into his time as manager, he couldn’t have asked for a better start.
“It feels good to be playing well, especially with how last year went,” Weiss said. “It makes it extra special that we’re playing this well early on. We’re a good team. I said that coming out of spring training.”
Chicago, meanwhile, is vying to avoid its first four-game skid of the season. Since they had their 10-game winning streak snapped, the Cubs have just two runs across the last three games.
“Offensively, we did something for one inning (the fourth on Tuesday), and that just wasn’t enough,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. “Six baserunners tonight. That’s not enough.”
On the mound, the Cubs’ Shota Imanaga (4-2, 2.28 ERA) will look to continue his sizzling start to the month on Wednesday. In victories over the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds, Imanaga has surrendered just one run across 13 innings while striking out 15. On Thursday, the left-hander tossed six frames of one-run ball, striking out 10 in an 8-3 win against the Reds.
“This is just what Shota has done this year. I thought it was just a good game plan,” Counsell said of the dominant start. “His split-finger was excellent. His fastball was up when it needed to be. It was a lot of swing and miss and more of what we’ve seen from him so far.”
Imanaga is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in three career starts against the Braves.
-Field Level Media
