LOS ANGELES — The Braves have the sport’s strongest lineup, and it seems to be like they may additionally enter the postseason with a Cy Younger-caliber pitcher who has a contemporary arm.
Max Fried picked the appropriate time to get again to being himself after a three-month layoff. The lefty silenced one of many recreation’s prime lineups and helped the Braves make one other assertion with a 6-3 win over the Dodgers on Friday night time at Dodger Stadium.
“This was massive,” Fried stated. “I undoubtedly really feel like I have been going by means of the motions at instances, and I haven’t actually been as sharp and centered on making pitches and successful ballgames the best way I used to be right now. It was a jolt, and I’m going to attempt to use this as a springboard.”
The primary two video games of this four-game sequence have gone auspiciously for the Braves, who’ve prolonged their result in six video games over the Dodgers in the battle for the Nationwide League’s finest document. They held on to win Thursday’s sequence opener and dominated Friday’s recreation to the purpose MVP candidates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman had been pulled within the eighth inning.
That is after Fried had scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings. Betts and Freeman mixed to go 1-for-6 towards the Braves lefty, with the one hit being a single Freeman slapped to the left facet of the infield with third baseman Austin Riley shifted towards second base.
“That is a very good ballclub over there,” Fried stated. “They have been actually good for a very long time. They do not take very many pitches or very many video games off. So, you form of should convey your A recreation. We simply know that we’re a very good staff. We actually imagine in ourselves.”
It’s definitely simple to be assured once you’ve constructed MLB’s prime document with a lineup that features Ronald Acuña Jr., who created the 30-60 membership on Thursday after which homered once more on Friday to strengthen his bid for what could be simply the fifth 40-homer, 40-steal season in AL/NL historical past. Marcell Ozuna additionally homered to again Fried and bolster his personal try and additionally be part of Matt Olson, who has already surpassed the 40-homer mark.
Even Travis d’Arnaud acquired into the act, together with his second inning solo homer off Julio Urías. The veteran catcher turned the tenth Braves participant to tally a double-digit homer complete this 12 months. That is the primary time in franchise historical past greater than 9 gamers have reached this complete.
Acuña has strengthened his NL MVP bid by homering inside a multi-hit efficiency throughout each of the sequence’ first two video games. However this weekend’s most vital improvement has come from Fried, who simply wanted time to discover a groove after lacking three months with a left forearm pressure that sidelined him in early Might.
“He appeared like himself,” d’Arnaud stated. “I feel the most important factor for me was his ideas had been right, versus what I noticed in his previous couple of begins. I feel he was very snug right now. I feel he’s proper the place he must be.”
Fried was in complete management towards an offense that averaged 6.1 runs per recreation in August. He retired every of the primary eight batters confronted and didn’t enable a Dodger to succeed in second base till there have been two outs within the seventh.
“I don’t have a number of innings on my arm, which is very nice, however it’s actually about simply advantageous tuning and sharpening and ensuring I’m the identical man that I’ve been previously,” Fried stated. “I really feel like right now was a superb step towards that.”
Fried has thrown 60 ⅔ innings this 12 months and simply 34 ⅔ innings since coming back from the injured checklist in early August. He spent the previous few weeks trying to re-acquaint himself with the move of the sport. He endured one tough inning in Pittsburgh after which battled by means of some inconsistencies whereas producing respectable leads to every of his subsequent three outings.
But it surely wasn’t till Friday that he was capable of stroll away glad with how he felt and carried out. Now, he can enter the ultimate stretch and put together for the postseason with none issues about fatigue.
“That’s massive,” d’Arnaud stated. “To have a bonafide ace and a [2021] Recreation 6 World Collection winner, that is large for any staff.”