Max Fried, who is dealing with a blister as the National League Division Series approaches, completed five innings in Tuesday’s simulated game, which was free for fans to attend as the Braves prepare for their postseason run.
While pitching, Fried wore a Band-Aid on his left index finger to protect the blister. Fried seemed to come out of the outing fine, but that’s an assumption because the Braves didn’t make Fried available to talk to reporters.
Among the questions that went unanswered: How did Fried feel? Did the blister fill with fluid during the outing? Would he be ready to pitch in Game 2 if the Braves go that direction?
Braves manager Brian Snitker will have his MLB-mandated media availability Friday, which is the team’s official workout day ahead of Saturday’s Game 1 of the NLDS at Truist Park. Fried will speak to reporters the day before his start, which is protocol during the postseason.
Over the five innings, Fried allowed three runs (two earned). He threw 76 pitches. He gave up six hits, two of which were back-to-back homers to Kevin Pillar and Sean Murphy. He issued three walks, including a four-pitch walk to end his start.
Fried’s team of starters lost 4-1 to the “Visiting Braves” – a team made up of mostly bench players – in the seven-inning contest.
The reason for Fried’s “unearned” run: In simulated games, teams can work on whatever they want, and do it however they want. In this case, Fried got Luke Williams to ground out to shortstop, but the Braves had Williams stay on first to allow Fried to work out of the stretch. Williams eventually advanced to third base on Dalton Guthrie’s single and scored on Nicky Lopez’s double.
Fried throwing 76 pitches Tuesday seems to mean he would be lined up to start Game 2 on Monday at Truist Park, if the Braves decide to go that direction and Fried’s blister is fine. If that’s the case, Spencer Strider would start Game 1.
The off-days mixed into the NLDS allow the Braves to use Strider and Fried in four of five possible games, with their Game 3 pitching plans seemingly being up in the air. It’s difficult to know how Fried’s blister would fare while he pitches.
To begin his outing Tuesday, Fried threw two perfect innings on 23 pitches. He retired the first eight batters he faced before Guthrie’s single. Fried encountered trouble in the third, then struggled a bit in the fourth and fifth – though you perhaps shouldn’t care about his results in a simulated game.
In the fourth, Pillar launched one homer. Then Murphy followed with another. In the fifth inning, Fried allowed a leadoff single. Then with one out, he walked consecutive batters – one in a nine-pitch at-bat – before the Braves called the inning.
(Again, simulated games are controlled. On Tuesday, the Braves ended multiple innings before there were three outs so they could manage pitchers’ pitch counts.)
Pitching opposite Fried, AJ Smith-Shawver hurled five scoreless innings against the Braves’ everyday players, minus Marcell Ozuna, who was the starting first baseman for the visiting team. Braden Shewmake took Ozuna’s spot in the home Braves’ lineup, batting ninth.
Collin McHugh pitched the final two innings in relief of Fried for the home Braves. Kyle Wright threw the last two innings behind Smith-Shawver for the visiting Braves.
Lineups
The lineups were as follows …
Visiting Braves
SS Nicky Lopez
LF Kevin Pillar
C Sean Murphy
1B Marcell Ozuna
CF Forrest Wall
2B Vaughn Grissom
RF Sam Hilliard
3B Luke Williams
DH Dalton Guthrie
RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
Home Braves
RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
2B Ozzie Albies
3B Austin Riley
1B Matt Olson
C Travis d’Arnaud
CF Michael Harris II
LF Eddie Rosario
SS Orlando Arcia
DH Braden Shewmake
LHP Max Fried
Atmosphere
There was a nice turnout for this workout, as the lower bowl on the right side (around the Braves’ dugout) mostly was full.
The Braves, as promised, treated this like a real game. Public address announcer Kevin Kraus performed his usual routine of welcoming fans to the ballpark, reading the lineups and more. The scoreboard was on. ... And on and on.
A cool moment
For the most part, the visiting Braves were a collection of Braves bench players and Triple-A Gwinnett players.
There are a couple of exceptions.
One of them is Isaiah Drake, the 18-year-old outfielder drafted by the Braves in the fifth round in July. He played in center field late in the game. And in his lone at-bat, he smoked a triple off the wall that scored a run.
Pretty good for an 18-year-old.
Braves broadcasts viewership update
In a release, Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast said it ended the 2023 regular season with its highest household rating since 2019. The networks also reported an increase in year-over-year viewership metrics across all platforms.
The networks televised 146 Braves game this season, and 108 of them ranked No. 1 across all networks in the Atlanta DMA (Designated Market Area) during their time slots. Of the remaining 38 games, 28 ranked No. 2 in the Atlanta market and 10 were No. 3 in their time slots – and included in that are three rain delays and four games after the team had clinched its sixth consecutive NL East title.
The networks said household ratings for 2023 Braves telecasts increased 17% year-over-year for an average of 3.44 in the Atlanta DMA, which is over 92,000 impressions. The ratings average was the second highest of the last 10 years, only trailing a 3.62 household rating in the 2019 season.
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