Max Fried's Struggles Against Phillies Present NLDS Game 2 Challenge for Braves
By Seth Carter
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies will meet in Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday. Thanks to the Phillies' pitcher usage in the Wild Card round and Max Fried's blister, the stars have aligned for the two aces to meet head-to-head.
Max Fried's 2023
Max Fried struggled with injuries all year but managed to start 14 games in 2023 and posted Max Fried-like numbers. He finished the year 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He struck out 80 batters through 77.1 innings pitched.
Fried ended his season on the IL with a blister. Fried has dealt with blisters his whole career but this one popped up at a potentially awful time. The good news is Fried made a successful start in an intrasquad game on Tuesday and appears ready to put the Braves on his shoulders Monday as they desperately try to tie the series one game to one.
Max Fried vs. Phillies Hitters: Not a Good Matchup for Atlanta Braves
This group of Phillies does not present a good matchup for Max Fried. Phillies offensive players have combined for a slash line of .299/.349/.495. In 194 at-bats, they have combined for eight homers, 12 doubles, 24 RBI, 16 walks, and 56 strikeouts.
Standout players include Nick Castellanos, who is hitting .615 with a homer in 13 ABs against Max Fried.
You just knew you'd see Bryce Harper on this list as Harper is hitting .300 with two homers across 30 at-bats. He has a .400 OBP and a .567 slugging percentage off the Atlanta lefty.
RELATED: Max Fried's Struggles Against Phillies Present NLDS Game 2 Challenge for Braves
J.T. Realmuto has a career OPS of 1.024 against Fried, hitting .350 with three homers and six extra-base hits over 40 at-bats.
Trea Turner is hitting .400 with a .462 on-base percentage, and a .543 slugging percentage.
Last season in Game One of the NLDS, the Phillies put up six runs on Fried, booting him from the game in just 3.2 innings.
The Good News About Fried vs. Phillies
Max Fried did make one start against this year's version of the Phillies and he gave up just one run while striking out six hitters.
One thing is for sure, the offense needs to wake up after getting shut out in Game One. The offense has a tough task with Zack Wheeler standing on the other side.
While the Phillies are familiar with Fried, the same is true for Fried against the Phillies. So, it's certainly possible that the game could go either way.