Grant Holmes is scheduled to start Tuesday when the Braves open a three-game series against the Cubs at Truist Park, returning to the mound after 10 days off. The 30-year-old right-hander has not pitched since his May 1 start against the Rockies, when he allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits in Denver before Atlanta rallied for an 8-6 win after trailing 6-0.
Walt Weiss said Holmes “stayed in the fight,” and said he kept the game within reach after a rough first inning. Holmes has made seven starts this season and owns a 4.34 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, with only one outing in which he did not allow at least one run. His only scoreless start came April 3 at Arizona, when he worked six innings and allowed one hit.
The Braves needed the win that night, but they also needed Holmes to steady a rotation that has been leaning on a four-man group of Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder and JR Ritchie, with Holmes and Martín Pérez filling swing roles. Reynaldo López and Didier Fuentes have stayed in the bullpen as long-relief options, a setup that has let Atlanta keep its top arms lined up while absorbing the workload around them.
That structure matters now because the Braves enter the series one game behind the Cubs for the best record in baseball, even though Chicago leads the NL Central. Atlanta’s starters have been the best in the majors by ERA and opponents’ batting average, posting a 3.03 ERA and a.206 average against. Strider helped keep that standard intact last Saturday against the Dodgers, allowing one hit over six innings and striking out eight.
Holmes is not the only arm under a closer watch this week. Ritchie is scheduled to make his fourth MLB start Wednesday after allowing seven earned runs in 17 and one-third innings, including six walks over five innings in a 5-4 loss to Seattle on May 4. He said he will have to go back and look at video to figure out what he was doing, and added that early in outings he may have been trying to be too fine instead of attacking hitters.
Sale is set for Thursday’s series finale and brings a 2.20 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 49 innings over eight games, while Elder has been even sharper in his own work with a 1.81 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. Atlanta’s depth has kept it near the top of the standings, but the next three games will say a lot about how long the club can keep winning while mixing and matching behind its best starters.
