SAN DIEGO – In the season’s second half, Max Fried has established himself as an elite starter. And his greatest moment yet came Friday in his native California.
Fried tossed his second shutout Friday, holding the Padres to three hits in San Diego. It was Fried’s second career shutout, following his Aug. 20 outing in Baltimore. Both were “Madduxes” – shutouts completed in less than 100 pitches, named after Braves Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Fried required 98 pitches Friday and 90 against the Orioles.
A bonus: This one was achieved in front of family and friends, who drove from the Los Angeles area to see him twirl a gem against the team that drafted him.
“It’s up there (for best outing in my career),” Fried said. “I had everything working today, kept them off-balance. That’s a really good, aggressive team. I felt like the work I did with (catcher Travis d’Arnaud) today to communicate a lot, then on top of some really great defensive plays behind me, it all came together.”
It was rare dominance in modern Braves history. Fried’s two “Madduxes” are tied for the second most in a season by a Braves starter since 1988, one behind Maddux’s three in 1998 (per MLB statistician Sarah Langs). Fried is the first Braves lefty to pitch two shutouts in one season since Hall of Famer Tom Glavine in 2000.
The nine-inning masterpieces were similar. He allowed three hits Friday compared with four against the Orioles. He struck out four hitters and didn’t issue a walk in each game. His final pitch in the Aug. 20 outing was 96 mph. His last pitch Friday was almost 98 mph.
Manager Brian Snitker said Fried’s second shutout bested his first, especially given the circumstances. The Braves had lost earlier in the day. They’re clinging to a small lead atop the National League East with just over a week remaining in the regular season.
The pressure was on Fried. His team needed him to deliver. He responded with the best start of his life.
“That might be the best right there that I’ve seen,” Snitker said. “Just total, stuff, everything. He was on for three hours. He had some really quick innings, too. That’s about as good as I’ve seen out of him. This was a huge game after a tough loss.
“It was a beautiful night, a lot of energy, his family is here. That’s stepping up big right there.”
Fried’s latest complete game was an encore to his seven scoreless frames his last time out against the Giants. In his past two starts, the southpaw has surrendered six hits and no runs over 16 innings. He’s struck out nine and walked only one.
The past two outings have featured Fried at his best, with impeccable fastball command, a devastating curveball and a fiery mentality that burns in his eyes. It goes beyond the stats. Fried’s conviction and confidence would be evident even to one watching his or her first baseball game.
Fried asserted his will Friday, and the Padres had no answers. All-Star shortstop Fernando Tatis had two of San Diego’s hits. His teammates went 1-for-25 against Fried (the hit was a Wil Myers single in the second inning). Fried also credited the infield defense behind him, which made several highlight plays.
“That was ace-worthy,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “Super ace-worthy, especially at this point in the year. You need a big game like that against a team that’s really talented and chasing the playoffs as well. To do something like that is special.”
Fried’s second-half numbers are Cy Young-worthy. He has a 1.78 ERA across 13 starts. He’s posted an 80:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio while limiting opponents to a .193 average. His season ERA has dropped from 4.71 before the All-Star break to 3.12 with eight days left in the season.
The lefty has recorded 11 consecutive quality starts, one of three pitchers in the majors to do so this season (joining Walker Buehler and Brandon Woodruff) and the first Brave to achieve such since southpaw Alex Wood in 2011.
A statistic that likely means the most to Fried: The Braves are 9-2 in his past 11 outings. After three seasons trying to find his way, Fried has proved himself a frontline starter over the past two years. He keeps getting better and routinely steps up in the most important spots.
“Any time someone takes control of their career, I feel like it’s huge,” Swanson said. “I feel like we don’t necessarily give enough credit to guys who figure things out. They live and die by things that they want to do. He’s definitely one of those guys that came in wanting to do a couple things differently than he had done coming up, and he’s really evolved himself into a phenomenal pitcher. He was awesome tonight. He was able to control all his pitches. He’s been doing it most of the second half as well.
“I’m proud of him. I love him. He’s one of my best friends on the team. And I love watching him rake, too. I feel like I enjoy that almost more than anything else. The other thing, too, that I think he’s done a really good job of, that I give him a hard time sometimes on, too, is his pace. The last couple outings have been really good. He’s been working with really good tempo. That makes the defense better, and I feel like it makes him better.”
