Ritchie allows HR on first big league pitch, then leads Braves over Nats 7-2 for 8th win in 9 games

WASHINGTON (AP) — JR Ritchie allowed a home run to James Wood on his first major league pitch, then rebounded to allow one more run over seven innings and lead the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals 7-2 on Thursday for their eighth win in nine games.

Ozzie Albies homered and had four RBIs for the Braves, who broke a 2-2 tie with four runs in the seventh.

A 22-year-old right-hander selected 35th overall in the 2022 amateur draft, Ritchie (1-0) struck out seven, walked two and threw 54 of 89 pitches for strikes. He averaged 94.4 mph with 24 fastballs and also mixed in 25 curves, 19 changeups, 10 sliders, seven cutters and four sinkers.

Wood homered on a fastball over the middle of the strike zone, his National League-leading 10th home run of the season, and CJ Abrams went deep on a changeup below the strike zone in the fourth. Washington did not get a hit after Daylen Lile’s two-out single in the fourth.

Ritchie started the season at Triple-A Gwinnett and went 3-1 with a 0.99 ERA in five starts. Atlanta selected the contracts of Richie and right-hander Carlos Carrasco from the Stripers before the game, optioned right-hander Didier Fuentes to Gwinnett and placed left-hander Dylan Dodd on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Wednesday because of left spine inflammation.

Ritchie became the first Braves pitcher to allow two runs or fewer over seven-plus innings in his debut since Matt Wisler in 2015.

Albies’ sacrifice fly and Harris’ RBI single gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead in the fourth

With the score 2-2 in the seventh, Atlanta loaded the bases on walks by Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley around Matt Olson’s single off Cionel Pérez (0-1). Gus Varland threw a run-scoring wild pitch, Albies hit a two-run single and Michael Harris II followed with an RBI double.

Harris left in the middle of the seventh because of left quadriceps tightness.

Albies had three of Atlanta’s 14 hits, homering in the ninth against Julian Fernández.

Cade Cavalli gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings with a 10 strikeouts — four more than his previous career high.

Washington has lost five of seven.

Up next

Nationals: RHP Miles Mikolas (0-3, 9.15 ERA) starts Friday’s series opener at the Chicago White Sox, who send former Nationals RHP Erick Fedde (0-3, 3.92 ERA) to the mound

Braves: RHP Grant Holmes (1-1, 3.42 ERA) starts a homestand opener against Philadelphia and rookie RHP Andrew Painter (1-1, 4.42 ERA)..

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