The Braves are humming. They've won four of their last five and they get a homecoming start out of JR Ritchie, the Bainbridge Island kid making his third big-league start in his backyard. Two outings in, he's at 2.92 — seven innings and two runs against the Nationals, then 5.1 innings and two earned at Detroit. The poise has held up against grown-up lineups.
Logan Gilbert hasn't been the Logan Gilbert the Mariners need. He's 1-3 with a 4.03 ERA, hasn't gone six in most of his starts, and the local frustration around him is real — the last time out against Minnesota was a tidy 5-inning, 1-run line, but "tidy" and "five" isn't what an Opening Day arm is supposed to look like a month in. Against the league's best record, with traffic on the bases, that profile gets exposed.
The Atlanta injury sheet is the asterisk on that 25-10. No Acuña (Grade 1 hamstring), no Profar (full-season PED suspension), and the rotation is duct-taped — Schwellenbach not back until after the All-Star break, Waldrep eyeing June, Smith-Shawver on the 60. Sean Murphy, though, is reportedly trending toward rejoining the club for this very series, which would be a huge get behind the plate. Raisel Iglesias is also pegged to come off the IL on Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayBlake Burkhalter RP — Triple-A Gwinnett placed Burkhalter on the 7-day injured list March 27 with back spasms, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayJorge Mateo SS — Mateo was held out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners while he nurses a jammed thumb, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILRonald Acuna Jr. RF — Manager Walt Weiss said Sunday that Acuna has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
- 10-Day-ILHa-Seong Kim SS — Kim (finger) is moving his rehab assignment from Double-A Columbus to Triple-A Gwinnett this week, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILHurston Waldrep SP — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday that Waldrep (elbow) will throw a bullpen session in about a week and could be ready to rejoin the team in June, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
- suspensionJurickson Profar LF — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDylan Dodd RP — Dodd (back) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett in the coming days, Lindsay Crosby of BravesToday.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDanny Young RP — Atlanta transferred Young (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
- Day-To-DayTeddy McGraw SP — McGraw is working his way back from right elbow issues, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILPatrick Wisdom 1B — The Mariners placed Wisdom on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a left oblique strain, retroactive to Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILVictor Robles RF — Robles (pectoral) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Wilson 3B — The Mariners placed Wilson on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured left thumb.
- 15-Day-ILBryce Miller SP — The Mariners are leaning toward activating Miller (oblique) from the 15-day injured list next week in Houston, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILGabe Speier RP — The Mariners placed Speier on the 15-day injured list Monday with left shoulder inflammation, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Brash RP — Brash (lat) began playing catch Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILMiles Mastrobuoni 3B — Seattle transferred Mastrobuoni (calf) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Seattle has its own headaches. Cal Raleigh sat Sunday with right-side soreness and is day-to-day heading in — losing him for any stretch of this series would gut a lineup that's already been waiting on Brendan Donovan, Victor Robles, and Bryce Miller to filter back. The Mariners have lost three of their last five and the bats have been the issue more than anything.
Game script reads pretty cleanly: Atlanta is the better team, the hotter team, and they're throwing the steadier arm — even if it's the rookie. Seattle's path is Gilbert finally stringing together a vintage 7-inning outing and the lineup nicking a kid pitching in front of a hometown crowd. Both of those things are possible. Neither has been a given lately.