Fried shines in Atlanta Braves 9-0 win over Puerto Rico
By Matt Melton
A day after falling to the Dominican Republic's national team, the Atlanta Braves faced Puerto Rico on Thursday afternoon at CoolToday Park in North Port, FL, winning by a final score of 9-0. Many of the Braves' regulars played in the matchup, and were matched up against a Puerto Rico team that includes names such as Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, and current Brave Eddie Rosario that is preparing for the on-going World Baseball Classic.
Fried shines in Atlanta Braves 9-0 win over Puerto Rico
Drawing the start on the mound for Atlanta was left-hander Max Fried, who was nothing short of dominant against the Puerto Rico lineup. The Braves ace would go four scoreless innings, while only allowing two hits with five strikeouts.
In addition to Fried, this matchup was all Braves for the first couple of innings, as Atlanta would amass 11 total hits across the game's first four frames. The Braves would eventually carry a 7-0 lead into the fifth inning, with some of the highlights up to that point featuring an RBI double for Sean Murphy in the first, RBI singles for Vaughn Grissom and Austin Riley in the second, and an RBI double for Ozzie Albies in the fourth.
The Braves offense would in fact continue to succeed throughout the day, as Atlanta would compile 15 total hits, with six different hitters driving in a run. Atlanta would also score in six of nine innings.
Pitching-wise, the Braves would hold Puerto Rico to only four total hits, with Kirby Yates, Jackson Stephens, Michael Tonkin, Danny Young, and Connor Johnstone all pitching scoreless innings behind Fried.
Simply put, this was an impressive performance for the Braves, with Atlanta ultimately winning by a final score of 9-0.
Noteworthy Stats:
- LHP Max Fried - 4 IP, 2 H, 5 K
- 2B Ozzie Albies - 2/3, 2 R, 2B, RBI
- C Sean Murphy - 2/3, 2B, RBI
- OF Michael Harris II - 2/3, 2 R, 2B
What's Next?
The Atlanta Braves will travel to St. Petersburg on Friday for a matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 PM ET. The Rays projected starter is LHP Jeffrey Springs (1-0, 0.00 ERA), while Atlanta's starter is TBD.