The Braves will hope that Holmes can provide another solid start in Boston.
Looking for another series win and hoping to solidify themselves above .500, Atlanta is hoping that Grant Holmes can out-pitch late career Lucas Giolito in Boston
Holmes has been up and down this season, with some brilliant outings like his 6.0 inning 9 strikeout 2 run outing against the Dodgers, but also some duds like when he gave up 6 runs on 3 homers (all to Eugenio Suarez) in Arizona. He has flashed real ability to miss bats and command, but he has struggled with consistency in either of those factors, leading to a lackluster 5.19 FIP, that is much higher than ERA or xFIP, which are both around 4. Keeping the walks under control has been an issue for much of the season for Grant, although he has done a better job with that over the last three starts. His slider has clearly been his feature pitch, with an impressive amount of vertical break inducing a 35% whiff rate. If he can keep the walks down, we should feel pretty good about this outing for the Braves’ fifth starter.
Lucas Giolito is on the mound for the Red Sox and the righty that was once a hot commodity has struggled of late. Giolito had some high highs in 2019-2021, but has taken a few steps back since then, especially after a fairly disastrous 2023 that featured a 4.45 xFIP and a 5.27 FIP over 184.1 innings. He missed the 2024 season with an elbow injury and started 2025 on the IL, but has now made three starts. So far in 2025 he has been fine, with a 3.81 xFIP, but has a rough 5.51 ERA and has been striking out less than 8 batters per 9. His fastball and primary pitch still has some strong rise, even in the low/mid 90s, but he throws it a ton and the changeup that is his secondary is fairly unimpressive, along with an unimpressive slider in terms of motion. He has thrown his slider much less than he used to so far in 2025, but it’s still early.
Despite the difference in name recognition, this should probably be considered a roughly even pitching matchup. Here’s hoping the Braves’ offense can show up against Giolito and can deliver another series win.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, May 17, 7:15 pm EDT
Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
TV: FOX
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan