Holmes Struggled Early, as Reds Edged Atlanta 4–3

Drake Baldwin Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves once again missed a golden opportunity to pull even at .500, just like they did last week in Colorado. This time, it came at home against the Reds.

I knew going in that it would be a tough ask with Hunter Greene on the mound for Cincinnati. And in the early going, Greene looked untouchable. Atlanta simply couldn’t catch up to his 101 mph fastball. He was mowing through the Braves lineup at will and made it all look so effortless. Greene threw 53 pitches before exiting prior to the start of the fourth inning with a groin injury, and 38 of those were strikes.

Still, despite the shortened outing, those three innings were more than enough damage. It was a brutal start for Grant Holmes, who had perhaps his worst outing at the worst possible time. A Reds offense that had been ice cold to start the series suddenly found life, jumping all over Holmes from the jump. Holmes struggled early on with command, missed his spots, and left too many pitches in hittable zones. Reds center fielder TJ Friedl made him pay not once, but twice, crushing home runs in the first and third innings. Holmes owned up to it after the game.

“I feel like it was predictable counts,” Holmes said. “He was expecting a heater on that second homer, and you know, I felt like in the first at-bat I threw a curveball. Maybe he was sitting on it the next time. I mean, it wasn't a great one. It was at the top of the zone, and I usually don’t try to throw it there, because if they swing at it, it’s usually what happens.”

He also addressed the frustrating first inning sequence and the pitch clock confusion.

“Yeah, I felt like the first inning kind of got away from me,” Holmes added. “That automated strike with the timer, I thought I had plenty of time, but obviously I didn’t. I left too many balls in the zone once I got to two strikes, so it was pretty frustrating.”

Holmes continued, “I felt like I was out there without my best stuff, and it was frustrating. But I was trying to battle, stay in the game as long as possible. I just gave up runs in the first, third, and fourth. Like I said, left too many pitches over the plate after getting to two strikes.”

All four Cincinnati runs came off Holmes in the first four innings. After Greene exited prior to the fourth, you had to think Atlanta would take advantage, especially given their usual success against bullpens. But while they chipped away, the early hole was too much to overcome. The Braves dropped this one 4-3.

Offensively, it was another quiet night. Despite scoring three runs, Atlanta went just 6-for-32 at the plate, struck out 13 times, and worked only one walk. Drake Baldwin was the lone bright spot, going 2-for-3 with a home run. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Baldwin’s bat deserves more time in the lineup.

Late in the game, a head-scratching move from Brian Snitker sparked plenty of conversation. With

the Braves down to their final out and Eli White due up, Snitker instead turned to Eddie Rosario. The decision raised eyebrows everywhere. White has been a steady presence since entering the lineup and had already reached base earlier in the game with an infield single. In that moment, it felt like he gave the Braves a better shot to keep things alive.

Snitker explained the move postgame.

“Yeah, this guy’s got better numbers off right-handers, way better,” he said. “And I thought maybe Eddie could recreate some old magic.”

Old magic? Sure, 2021 is still fresh in a lot of fans’ minds. But this is 2025, and the Braves are trying to win games now. With a favorable stretch of games coming up, starting with a road trip to Pittsburgh, there’s still time to get this thing back on track. Hopefully Snitker doesn’t get too experimental in key moments going forward. Atlanta should have a real shot to finally hit and push past the .500 mark within the week.