MILWAUKEE – The Braves evened their National League Division Series against the Brewers with a 3-0 win Saturday night in Wisconsin.
Here are five takeaways from Saturday:
1. Max Fried cruised through six innings, striking out nine Brewers while allowing only three hits. The southpaw didn’t issue a walk. It continued Fried’s ace-worthy performance since mid-July. It also extended his personal playoff success – he has a 2.43 ERA as a starter in the postseason.
“I think there’s always going to be some anxiety or some nervousness about it,” Fried said. “I get butterflies before the game. But you just try to focus and realize that this is the same game we’ve been playing all year. The stakes might be a little bit higher, but to go out there and make the pitch that you’re supposed to make, that’s going to trump all.
“For me to just go out there and simplify it as much as I can and attack the glove and stay on the attack rather than nibble, that was the only thought I had.”
Fried was aggressive and commanding. Two of Milwaukee’s hits were softer knocks. Fried had three three-ball counts, but didn’t allow any to translate into a base runner. Twelve of the Brewers’ 38 swings were whiffs (32%). The Brewers’ average exit velocity against Fried was 83.2 mph compared with 90.2 for Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff, who surrendered three runs on five hits in six innings.
2. Tyler Matzek has been a star in the Braves’ bullpen since last season. He was pivotal Saturday, getting out of two late-inning jams.
Matzek entered for Luke Jackson in the seventh, assuming a two-on, two-out situation. He struck out right-handed hitting Tyrone Taylor on four pitches, requiring an extra strike after the would-be strike three was ruled a ball.
The eighth inning began with Jace Peterson’s walk and Kolten Wong’s single, again giving the Brewers a prime scoring opportunity. Matzek’s response: a Willy Adames strikeout, Eduardo Escobar flyout and Avisail Garcia strikeout.
“Matzek went out there and just did what he does best, attack the hitters,” second baseman Ozzie Albies said. “And they missed a couple of pitches in the zone. For him, a lefty to go against all those righties and take care of business, it was everything we wanted. Those four outs were really important for us tonight.”
3. Jorge Soler, the Braves’ unconventional leadoff man, awoke the offense with a one-out double off Woodruff in the third. First baseman Freddie Freeman followed with an RBI single, giving the Braves their first lead of the series.
Albies just missed a homer in the ensuing at-bat, with the ball bouncing off the top of the right-field wall. He settled for an RBI double and a 2-0 lead. While the play underwent review, Albies did push-ups at second base.
“Tomorrow’s an off-day - I might work out from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.,” Albies said. “That ball has to go out.”
4. Third baseman Austin Riley homered off a low Woodruff change-up in the sixth. It was Riley’s second career postseason home run.
5. The Brewers are one swing away – Rowdy Tellez’s game-winning two-run homer in Game 1 – from being shut out across 18 innings in the series. The series has featured only six runs total. But the Braves are in good position, returning home after taking a game on the road.
“It’s a best-of-three series now,” Fried said. “We’ve got two at home so we like our chances. So we’re going to go back to Atlanta, get ready for this stretch and try to win the best two out of three.”
Stat to know
13-7 (The Braves are 13-7 all-time in Game 2 after losing the first game.)
Quotable
“It’s one of those (reasons) why I don’t have any hair.” – Snitker on watching Matzek navigate the two-on jam in the eighth
“I’m just excited to hear a playoff tomahawk chop, honestly. I’m sure it’s going to be a great atmosphere. I hope all the fans are coming out and ready to cheer. I’m looking forward to it.” – Matzek’s message to the fans before Game 3
Up next
Ian Anderson (9-5, 3.58 ERA) will start Game 3 in Atlanta, where the Braves will try to take the series lead Monday.
