One bad Braves decision vs Phillies ended up overshadowed by costly errors

This weekend's series against the Phillies doesn't seem like it would be paramount for the Braves but it certainly feels that way. Friday's series opener proved just how tense this matchup would be throughout the weekend.

There was a tension in the air that felt like the Braves were bracing for the Phillies to explode at any moment. Max Fried labored hard in the thick Atlanta humidity and struggled to keep the team's division rival at bay.

Fried's season got off to a rough start in Philadelphia as the Phillies knocked him out of the game after 43 pitches and just two outs recorded in the first inning. His line for that game was 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, and 1 K.

After that, Max struggled in his second start but eventually figured things out and pitched like himself. Coming into Friday's start, he had a 2.91 ERA and 3.25 FIP through 96 innings including 30 walks and 84 strikeouts.

The Phillies were all over Fried again on Friday and showed no mercy. Their offensive onslaught, a poor managerial decision, and late errors cost the Braves a chance to win the game.

One bad Braves decision vs Phillies ended up overshadowed by costly errors in late innings

Philadelphia had runners on base all evening and Fried kept them off the board until the fourth inning rolled around. The entire game up until that point felt like it was just waiting for the levee to break. Well, that happened and Trea Turner, who has been a thorn in the Braves side for years, made them pay not once but twice.

The Phillies had 10 hits through the first four innings but things looked promising as Fried had a 1-2-3 fifth inning. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. Max started the inning with 88 pitches and hoped to end his day with a scoreless sixth inning.

Former Braves prospect Christian Pache flied out on the first pitch but Bryson Stott worked Fried's pitch count to 97 after an eight-pitch at-bat resulted in a walk. There was no way Atlanta would let Max face Trea Turner for a fourth time, right?

Unfortunately, that was not the case as Brian Snitker allowed that. Fried got ahead of Turner with a first-pitch strike but his second pitch of the at-bat was a hanging slider that the shortstop launched into the seats for the 11th hit of the night for the division-leading Phillies and a 5-2 lead over Atlanta.

Fried got the final two outs of the inning and turned things over to a Braves offense that has struggled all year. Consequently, Brian Snitker's failure to pull Fried at the right time made Ozzie Albies' solo homer in the bottom of the inning meaningless. Had Turner not homered the game would have been tied at three apiece.

This mistake by Snit was the talk of fans after the game. Fried had no reason to face Turner for the fourth time. He clearly figured out Fried's game plan and wasn't fooled by anything. That second home run was the first time Max Fried had allowed two homers to the same batter in the same game, according to Braves insider Mark Bowman.

However, that managerial mistake was overshadowed by the real reason Atlanta lost Friday's opener by an 8-6 final.

The seventh inning is where things completely fell apart for Atlanta. Three fielding errors in the inning allowed the Phillies to add on three runs and that ended up being the final nail in the Braves' coffin. Things started with a fielding error by Matt Olson that allowed a runner to reach and was followed by an errant throw to first by Jesse Chavez that ended up in right field allowing two runs to score.

The third error came as Johan Rojas tried to steal third base and Austin Riley whiffed on the catch which allowed Rojas to score Philly's eighth run of the night. This inning shouldn't be overshadowed as it directly impacted Atlanta's ability to win game one.

Sure, Snit's baffling decision to let Fried face Turner a fourth time is a problem. However, if the Braves don't commit those errors in the seventh, the team will keep the game within two runs and walk away with a 6-5 win instead of a loss.

Marcell Ozuna blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth and that would have given the Braves the lead. It's easy to look back on things in retrospect and say the team would have won. Of course, it's still possible the Phillies could have won the game with how well their offense has performed this season but it's hard not to think Atlanta would have won the game with how good their bullpen has been.

Complaining about the loss won't change things but it's frustrating to witness a talented team beat themselves. Atlanta has long been one of the best defensive teams in baseball, but it didn't look like it Friday night.

Philadelphia continues to haunt them and they have to find a way to break the cycle if they have any hope of winning the division and the division is slipping away quickly. Atlanta once again finds themselves down 10 games in the standings.

Hopefully, Saturday will be a better showing for the Braves but they'll have a tough task as Ranger Suarez takes the mound. One thing is for sure, they can't repeat what happened during the late innings on Friday night.

More from House That Hank Built