PHILADELPHIA – The Braves plan to start All-Star lefty Max Fried if they force a winner-take-all Game 5 against the Phillies at Truist Park on Sunday. The Braves needed to win Saturday in Philadelphia to extend the National League Division Series.
“He’s ready to go,” manager Brian Snitker said of Fried. “We’ll discuss that after (Saturday’s) game.” He later added: “It’s going to be Max. If he’s feeling really good, I’m sure that’s who we’ll lean towards. We’ll have discussions after the game. Hopefully we’re talking about that.”
Fried started Game 1 – his first outing in 11 days because the flu – and he was uncharacteristically off. He allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3-1/3 innings. Fried wouldn’t make any excuses for his worst outing of the season, simply saying he was healthy enough to pitch and needed to be better.
Snitker provided one line of an encouragement Saturday: “In talking with (trainer) George (Poulis) and Max, he kind of feels like he’s turned the corner. So hopefully he has.”
The 28-year-old Fried had a 2.48 ERA over 30 starts during the regular season. He pitched six scoreless innings in the World Series-clinching Game 6 a year ago. The Braves trust their ace in such pressure-packed spots.
If there’s a Game 5, it would start at 4:37 p.m. Sunday at Truist Park. FS1 would broadcast the game.
Strider said he ‘felt great’ physically
Spencer Strider told Snitker that “everything felt great” after his short outing in Friday’s Game 3 of the NLDS.
Strider lasted just 2-1/3 innings in which he gave up five earned runs in his shortest appearance as a starter this season. It was his first appearance since Sept. 18 because he needed to rehab a strained oblique.
Strider threw 52 pitches, 36 for strikes.
There were questions about Strider’s health after the game because his fastball was clocked at 93.8-mph in the third inning. It was his slowest of the season. Rhys Hoskins hit it out for a three-run homer.
