Atlanta Braves Ride Another Grand Slam to a Win on Wednesday
By James Kunkle
That was a lot better version of Max Fried than we saw early in the year.
Without a doubt, it was easily the best start so far in 2021 for Fried and the Atlanta Braves.
Max was able to go five innings of 1 run ball, which was allowed via a home run by Gomes of the Nationals.
His stat line for the night also included six strikeouts, only allowing four hits and one walk on the evening.
With it being his first start back from a short stint on the IL, the Atlanta Braves played it a little cautious only allowing him to throw 72 pitches, otherwise it looked like a classic 2020 Fried start where he would have most likely been able to go at least seven innings on the contest.
Hopefully Wednesday was a sign that Fried is back to the pitcher he was in 2020 when he received a little bit of Cy Young love. If that is the case, the Atlanta Braves obviously would get a huge shot in the arm as we inch closer to the quarter mark of the season.
I do not think it’s fair to heavily rely on anything from Mike Soroka this season. Sure, he should come back and will probably be another big boost and should be fine, but it is probably not wise to rest all your hopes on that. That is why this start and the health of Max is so big for the Atlanta Braves.
He has got to be the man this year, simply put. Charlie Morton is a great pitcher who will have better luck over the summer, but being honest, Ian Anderson, and Huascar Ynoa have been carrying the pitching side of things for the Atlanta Braves thus far. Getting Fried back in the swing of things and going even remotely close to the 2020 version will propel this team back into the favorite column for the NL East.