SAN DIEGO – All day Monday – and really, for the last couple weeks – Braves fans were excited for Max Fried’s return.
That – what he did on Monday at Petco Park – is why.
Fried led the Braves to a 2-0 victory over the Padres in the first of three games here. He was terrific. It looked as if he had not missed any time at all.
Here are five observations on Atlanta, which is 13-4 and has won seven in a row:
1. As Fried walked through the dugout after leaving the mound for the final time on Monday, Braves players and coaches high-fived the club’s ace.
This was a job well done.
Over five innings, Fried shut out the Padres, who have scuffled lately but are a dangerous lineup. He struck out four batters. He allowed only four hits. He retired the final 10 Padres he faced.
“Really good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s hard to believe he had a layoff, as sharp as he was. He was throwing the ball really well. Kind of went exactly how we kind of wanted it to go, just getting through five and he was very efficient with what he was doing. I told him, ‘I think the next time out, we can take the gloves off and turn you loose.’”
This ballpark seemed ready to erupt at any moment. Fans roared for any ball that looked like it might be a hit, especially fly balls.
But Fried – who had a two-run lead before he even took the mound – kept the Padres quiet, and the crowd remained rather subdued because it had no reason to be anything else.
Two Padres reached in the first inning, then two more in the second. Fried stranded them all. He didn’t allow a baserunner after the second inning.
“It’s fun,” Austin Riley said of playing behind Fried. “He’s so competitive. He’s into every pitch. He’s always thinking. I’ve never seen anyone gameplan as well as he does. Good for him. He deserves to throw well, because he prepares well and does his homework.”
Of his preparation, Fried said: “I think it’s a lot about doing whatever I need to do to feel the most confident out there in any situation. You’re on a mound by yourself, kind of like on an island, so if you’re as prepared as possible, there’s not a situation that comes up that you don’t feel like you can handle.”
Credit: AP photo/Gregory Bull
Credit: AP photo/Gregory Bull
2. Seventeen days separated Fried’s last start and this one. For a pitcher, any layoff can be difficult. He kept his arm going the entire time, but there’s no way to simulate a big-league game. He threw a simulated game at Truist Park last week, but that seemed to be the closest he got to game action. He didn’t go on a rehab assignment.
All of this makes Fried’s outing more impressive. He was crisp and sharp. His stuff looked great.
“Any time you have a couple weeks off from game action, you’re not sure how you’re going to be coming into it,” Fried said. “I didn’t wanna have too high of expectations. It was mostly, ‘Let’s attack, not give free passes and make them earn it.’ Felt a lot better than I was expecting.”
Fried, who threw 79 pitches, earned 10 whiffs on 40 Padres swings. San Diego batters swung at nine of Fried’s changeups and missed four of them.
The hardest-hit ball off Fried? A 96 mph groundout. (For context, Braves hitters put eight balls in play at 96 mph or above against Padres starter Ryan Weathers.)
Of the 15 outs Fried got, 12 were either strikeouts or groundouts.
“Coming into it, I was just hoping to really just come out healthy,” Fried said. “Obviously, with how well the team has been playing recently, I wanted to go out there and give us the best chance to win.”
3. This season, the Braves have often started fast. They attack, then step on the throat, before other teams know what hit them.
They entered this game 11-0 when scoring first this season.
In the first inning, Austin Riley sent a 110 mph missile toward the Western Metal Supply Co. building in left field for a two-run shot off starter Weathers.
“It allows me to go out there and know that a solo home run doesn’t beat me,” Fried said. “Austin comes up, two-run homer, you can be a little bit more aggressive (knowing) that one ball doesn’t beat you. ...As long as you can go out there and stay ahead, be aggressive and get those guys back in the dugout as quick as possible, it gives you the best chance to add on.”
Atlanta’s 12 wins when scoring first are tied with Tampa Bay for the most in the majors.
4. Dylan Lee might be the most underrated Braves player.
After Fried exited, Lee hurled two scoreless innings to get the Braves to the eighth with their two-run lead intact. He allowed only one hit – a double – and struck out four batters.
In 9 1/3 innings to begin this season, Lee has not yet surrendered a run.
To find the last time an opposing lineup scored on Lee in the regular season, you need to go all the way back to Sept. 6 of last season. Since then, he has tossed 21 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
In the eighth inning, Jesse Chavez got Manny Machado to ground into an inning-ending double play. A.J. Minter pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.
5. It seems like forever ago that San Diego took three of four in Atlanta. It halted the Braves’ hot start.
About that ...
The Braves haven’t lost since the ugly defeat to the Padres on Sunday Night Baseball. Atlanta is going for its third consecutive sweep, with one win out of the way.
Stat to know
12 - Of the 15 outs Fried got on Monday, 12 were either a strikeout or a groundout.
Quotable
“That’s why he’s a number one. Those guys can do that. He did a great job keeping himself ready, preparing. You’re never going to have to worry about Max not being ready and doing his work and all that. That’s one of the most dedicated guys I’ve ever been around in my life.”-Snitker on Fried’s terrific start given the fact he had a layoff
Up next
On Tuesday, Braves right-hander Spencer Strider will face Padres left-hander Blake Snell. First pitch is 9:40 p.m. ET.
