McBride made the jump from Single to Double-A ball in 2004 when he joined the Greenville Braves. He struggled in Greenville, posting a 1–7 record with a 4.46 ERA. Among his teammates that year were former Tigers pitcher Brian Moehler and future Tigers/Mud Hens teammate Zach Miner. McBride followed the Braves to Mississippi in 2005 as the franchise relocated and showed improvement, going 3–1 with a 3.65 ERA over six appearances. Atlanta promoted him to the Triple-A Richmond Braves, where he compiled a 1–5 record with a 4.33 ERA, almost wholly in relief. Lefties only hit .172 against him while he played for Richmond.