Game Preview: Braves Look to Win Fourth Straight with Fried Back on the Mound

The Braves look to face off with the Giants for the fifth time in eight days, and officially win the season series. With Atlanta's solid 5-1 victory last night, Max Fried will be starting for Atlanta to keep the momentum. Fried will be looking to redeem himself after giving up two home runs on the 20th. While the last outing was not his best performance, he held San Francisco to only three runs on nine hits, pitching well with crowded base paths.

Atlanta has won their last three games, as the bats and pitching have both looked well. In that span, they have only given up three runs while scoring fifteen. The Braves will have an opportunity for another bullpen game today, with Ryan Walker getting the start.

Pitching Matchup for Braves vs. Giants

Max Fried will be on the mound for his tenth start of the year. Since returning from his strained forearm, Max has mostly pitched well. The lefty has a 2.83 ERA on the season. However, he has only gone more than six innings once. Today, look for Fried to be much more efficient on the road. He has noted that the heat has affected his starts due to missing time.

The forecast in San Fran looks to have a balmy high of 72 degrees, hopefully leading to a deep outing focusing on control. You can expect a mid-90s four-seam fastball mixed with a heavy sinking curveball. The effective combination will also showcase a mid-80s slider and change with a low-90s sinker.

The Giants will be going back to the bullpen, sending Ryan Walker out for his 34th appearance. The right-hander has had a good year for the Giants, owning an ERA of 2.14 and a 4-2 record. In his last appearance, he earned a save against the Phillies in his last appearance Hebut only pitched 0.1 innings. Expect the Braves to get to other relievers quickly, as Walker has pitched up to three innings only twice this year. When watching, look for a heavy sinker and a sweeping slider combination.

Braves bats to watch

While Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson continue to tear up pitching, Michael Harris II has been heating up. The sophomore centerfielder has four runs, four hits, a homer, and two stolen bases in the last two games. Look for him to stay aggressive in counts and potentially hit higher in the lineup consistently.

Nicky Lopez also has been making contact and playing a significant part in getting on base. Since filling in for Ozzie Albies, Lopez has hit .400, coming through in some big moments. The second baseman has five hits in his last three games and will hopefully start to help score some additional runs.

Where to watch:

Date/Time/Location: 8/26/2023 at 4:05 PM EST at Oracle Park

TV: Bally Sports Southeast, FS1

Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan

Odds:

ATL: -185

O/U: 8