Thursday night was a tough one for the Atlanta Braves' minor league affiliates, as all teams came up short in disappointing fashion. But if you're looking for a silver lining, the brightest spot came out of Augusta, where right-hander Luis Arestigueta delivered his sharpest outing in weeks.

Arestigueta struck out six batters over four innings, showing the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that has made him an intriguing arm to watch. While the overall team results weren't pretty, performances like his remind us that development isn't always about the win column—it's about the progress on the mound.

Elsewhere, it was a night to forget for Owen Murphy in Gwinnett. Making his third start with the Stripers, Murphy struggled with command yet again, walking five batters over four innings while allowing four earned runs on five hits. His ERA now sits at 6.59, and the underlying numbers are raising some red flags.

Walks have become a troubling trend for Murphy, who is already just five free passes shy of his career high for a single season—and we're not even halfway through the year. The issue? He's struggling to keep his secondary pitches down in the zone. While his high-carry fastball can play effectively up in the strike zone, his slider and curveball haven't been nearly as reliable. That's forced Murphy to lean heavily on his fastball, and pitchers who rely too much on one pitch—especially without elite velocity—tend to get burned at the upper levels.

Sure enough, Murphy surrendered another home run today, bringing his total to four in just three Triple-A starts and nine on the season across 34 1/3 innings. Finding consistent command on his off-speed stuff is no longer just a goal—it's a necessity.

There were also some concerns about his stamina. Murphy averaged 93.9 mph on his fastball early, but his velocity dipped inning by inning, bottoming out at 90.6 mph in the fourth. He was pulled after just 72 pitches, which is a short leash for a starter who needs to show he can go deeper into games. To his credit, the fastball was still his best weapon—it generated the most swings and misses—but one poorly located pitch turned into a home run that tainted an otherwise decent line.

Murphy's fastball has the potential to play at the next level, even without elite gas. But if he wants to crack the MLB conversation, his slider needs to become a more consistent weapon. For now, it's back to the drawing board for the young right-hander—and a reminder that the path to the big leagues is rarely a straight line.