The Braves have already won the series in St. Louis. Mike Foltynewicz and crew will go for a sweep Sunday.
A night after coasting to a 5-1 win, the Braves pounded out 11 runs on 15 hits and beat the Cardinals 11-4.
Nick Markakis had a grand slam, while Max Fried struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings.
Here’s what the Braves said afterwards:
Manager Brian Snitker:
On Fried:
“His command of the strike zone, his fastball command, his stuff was really good and he was throwing a lot of strikes. That was the biggest thing. That’s probably as good as I’ve seen him go up here. Just the fastball. Secondary stuff was good. Overall stuff was the best I’ve seen here.”
On Nick Markakis’ grand slam:
“Just a great at-bat. God almighty, that was a great at-bat. I’ve seen him have those driven at-bats before where he just wills himself to get it done, and he did. That was, at that point in time, big.”
On Ronald Acuna’s home run:
“Just turn him loose (on a 3-0 count). I thought it was a sacrifice fly when he hit it. Just got that carry, keeps going.”
On Ozzie Albies extending his hitting streak to 10 games:
“He’s been a big part of what we’ve done here. He just keeps making adjustments. There’s a kid that’s just going to continue getting better and better.”
Starter Max Fried:
On his night:
“I knew that this Cardinal team was a really good team. I wanted to go out there and make sure I was prepared as possible. Just wanted to give it my all. My goal was to go out there and get as many innings as I could. Take some of the pressure off (the bullpen) coming in in the fifth or something. I just wanted to go as long as possible, get quick outs and try to attack the zone.”
Having the offense explode:
“After the two-run homer, I said alright, let’s get in the dugout as fast as we can. … For me, it was just more about ‘I want to go out and get the guys in the dugout as quickly as possible.’ Just try to throw strikes and pound the zone.”
On his first career hit:
“I’ll take it. It wasn’t the hardest hit ball, and it was just inside the line. I guess it’s all the same in the box score. For me, I was just happy to get on base and get something going.”
Did you get the ball?
“Yeah. I’m probably going to give it to my mom.”
Outfielder Ronald Acuna:
On his home run:
“I just tried to make good contact, get some wood on it. … Every time I go up to bat, I’m primarily looking to hit fastballs. The other pitches are kind of just secondary.”
On being part of an offensive breakout after being sidelined over a month:
“It’s definitely super emotional and exciting. It’s one of those things where these types of games just jack up your adrenaline. You just go with the flow and see what happens, because you can’t really plan these games. These games happen the way they do. You just ride it and try to make the most of it.”
Outfielder Nick Markakis:
On Fried:
“First off, you have to give all the credit to Max. He came out and pitched one of the better games I’ve seen for him. Two runs early on was enough for him. It was nice to get some runs and give him a nice cushion there.”
On his home run:
“Probably one of my better at-bats during the season. Three-two, I looked back at the video and it wasn’t exactly where he wanted it. He threw it somewhere close to the zone and I put a good swing on it.”
Did you know it was gone?
“I had an idea. I barreled it up so I was just happy it was going to get one run in. It ended up getting four runs in. So it was good.”
