On Sunday, the Atlanta Braves finished up their series with the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park in Georgia.
The Braves won by a score of 6-2.
Matt Olson led the team with one home run and three RBI’s.
Braves Make JR Ritchie Announcement
GettyJR Ritchie #56 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the third inning of his major league debut against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 23, 2026 in Washington, DC.
The Braves will now get a day off before they host the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.
Ahead of the series, the Braves announced their starting pitchers.
JR Ritchie (who recently made his MLB debut) will make his second career start on Wednesday.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com wrote: “Braves starters vs DET: Martin Perez (Tuesday) JR Ritchie (Wednesday) and Bryce Elder (Thursday). Reynaldo Lopez will be used as a reliever while he tries to fix some mechanical issues”
Ritchie finished his debut pitching 7.0 innings, allowing just five hits and two earned runs (with seven strikeouts).
The Braves wrote (via X) on April 23: “JR Ritchie today became the first pitcher in franchise history to complete at least 7.0 innings while allowing no more than two runs and striking out at least seven in his major league debut.”
At just 22, the former first-round pick has given the Braves a lot to be excited about.
Nicho Roessler of RotoBaller wrote: “JR Ritchie was impressive in his MLB Debut today against the Nats. 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K 9 whiffs 29% CSW He had a good distribution of whiffs among his top 3 pitches (Curve, 4-Seamer, changeup, slider). Someone to certainly keep an eye on.”
7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K 9 whiffs 29% CSW
He had a good distribution of whiffs among his top 3 pitches (Curve, 4-Seamer, changeup, slider). Someone to certainly keep an eye on.
Braves And Tigers Right Now
GettyJR Ritchie #56 of the Atlanta Braves pitches to José Tena #8 (not pictured) of the Washington Nationals during the first inning of his major league debut at Nationals Park on April 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Ritchie struck out Tena for his first career strike out.
The Braves are off to an incredible start to the 2026 season with a 20-9 record in 29 games, which has them at the top of the National League East.
They are 10-5 in the 15 games they have played at Truist Park.
Following three games against the Tigers, the Braves will play their next series on Friday when they visit the Colorado Rockies in Denver.
Last season, they missed the 2025 MLB playoffs.
GettyJR Ritchie #56 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 after coming out of the game after the seventh inning of his major league debut against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on April 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Ritchie won his first career game with a Braves 7-2 victory.
The Tigers are the second-place team in the American League Central with a 15-14 record in 29 games.
They are just 5-12 in the 17 games they have played on the road.
Atlanta Braves Make JR Ritchie Announcement Before Tigers Series