Wild Grant Holmes stat only worsened Braves fans’ misery after lifeless showing

ByEric Cole|
Jul 6, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Grant Holmes (66) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jul 6, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Grant Holmes (66) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are not a fun team to watch play baseball right now. In most games, the offense struggles to get much going at all and even when they do, it usually comes during a game when the pitching staff struggles. At the end of the day, it is just bad baseball most of the time and it truly stinks. Making matters worse, the Braves continue to squander what has been a surprisingly good rookie season from starter Grant Holmes.

While there was certainly some skepticism about Holmes at the start of the 2025 season, he has become one of Atlanta's most reliable, if weird, players. Through 19 appearances this season, he has posted a 3.44 ERA and he has been particularly good lately.

Holmes was good yet again on Sunday against the Orioles with six strong innings while giving up just two earned runs. Jackson Holliday gave him fits, but the rest of Baltimore's lineup could do little against him. While that start added on to what has been an impressive run for Holmes lately, the Braves have little to show for it.

Braves squandering Grant Holmes stellar run makes things feel even worse

Braves fans of a certain age will remember a similar phenomenon back in 2025. Shelby Miller was one of the few reasons to watch Atlanta back in those days and while he made the All-Star team and looked like a viable Cy Young candidate for a while, he famously got next to no run support from the Braves and he ended that season with a 6-17 record. He would then infamously get traded to Arizona in a truly lopsided deal and the rest was Braves history.

Holmes current run feels a lot like that. In addition to the 2.36 ERA over his last six starts, he has 50 strikeouts over his last 34.1 innings pitched. The 3.61 FIP over that same span does speak to the extra baserunners Holmes tends to allow, but is still more than good enough to keep the Braves in games. Unfortunately, the offense has done little to help him out as Atlanta has gone 1-5 in those starts with a combined three runs scored in those five losses.

At this point, it is time to look for silver linings because the Braves' 2025 season is all but over in terms of making the postseason. There is a lot of bad that will be taken away from this season, but Holmes' emergence as a more than viable rotation option is at least one good thing to remember.

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