The Atlanta Braves just pulled a wild, last-minute move for their first-half finale against the St. Louis Cardinals, swapping out JR Ritchie for Danny Young on the mound. Talk about a curveball right before the All-Star break! This game closes out the first half of the season, and it's suddenly looking like even more of a toss-up with Young, who only has four games pitched and one loss attributed to him this season, stepping in.
Atlanta Shakes Up the Lineup to Avoid a Sweep
It's not just the pitching that's seen a shake-up; the Braves' batting order is getting a serious remix to close out this series. Drake Baldwin is now leading off, which pushes Michael Harris II down to the fourth spot. Brewer Hicklen is taking over right field and batting ninth, but his .398 OPS isn't exactly setting the world on fire. Jim Jarvis is back at shortstop, and Dominic Smith is sliding into the designated hitter role, batting sixth. The Braves desperately need a win here to avoid a sweep and end the first half on some kind of high note, even if they've already lost the series. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are absolutely gunning for their first sweep since early June. The stakes are through the roof for this one.The Numbers Against May Are Wild
Here's where it gets interesting though, despite the Braves' struggles and the last-minute pitching change. Jim Jarvis, Austin Riley, and Dominic Smith all boast an OPS above 2.000 and a batting average over .500 against Cardinals pitcher Dustin May. That's not a typo, folks. And May? He's been having his own struggles lately, with some on-and-off-again issues retiring opponents early and consistently landing his pitches in the zone. If the Braves' bats decide to wake up today, especially those guys who feast on May, this could seriously work in their favor. First pitch is set for 2:15 p.m. EDT. Will these last-minute changes spark something for the Braves and let them snag a win, or will the Cardinals ride their momentum to a clean sweep? It's going to be a must-watch game to see how this wild first half wraps up!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.