Braves: How much longer can the JR Ritchie experiment continue?

The early signs of Tuesday’s game were promising, as the Braves looked to bounce back from back-to-back losses.

Rowdy Tellez got the club on the board with a two-run single in the second inning. Michael Harris II added on with a double — one of his three hits on the night — and Matt Olson brought in a fourth run with a walk before the Padres finally found their way to the dugout.

But it didn’t take long for that lead to evaporate with rookie JR Ritchie on the mound, who continues to prove he might not quite be ready for a permanent role in a major-league rotation. The reasoning for that, like so many young pitchers before him, is control.

Ritchie can’t throw strikes, even with a four-run lead. Two one-out walks got the Padres feeling like they could get back in the game, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves with the lead following four straight hits.

The promising aspect of Ritchie’s outing is that he settled down, making it through five innings without allowing a single run. There’s never been much concern about the mental side of the game for the 22-year-old, but it seems there’s always one inning where everything unravels.

In the process, the Braves retook the lead, courtesy of a home run from Mauricio Dubon. Unfortunately, they couldn’t hold it.

For whatever reason, Walt Weiss turned to Carlos Carrasco for multiple innings in a one-run game. The first frame was fine, as Carrasco set the Padres down in order. But Weiss should have learned not to push his luck the last time he tried this, as Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the seventh inning with a solo home run.

Eventually, the game worked its way to extras, where the dismal bottom of the Braves lineup couldn’t muster anything — a primary storyline of this recent rough stretch. In the bottom half, Manny Machado walked it off with a single to center on the first pitch, sending the Braves home losers for a third consecutive night and the ninth time in their last twelve games.

Atlanta’s NL East lead is now down to 5.5 games, and after a first two months where it seemed nothing could go wrong, the script has completely flipped in June — marked most notably by a rotation that has completely imploded. JR Ritchie is being asked to do something he shouldn’t have to this early in his career. Hopefully, Hurston Waldrep‘s return can allow him to continue working on his craft in the minors.

—

(Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)