The Atlanta Braves began their series against the New York Mets on Friday evening. It was forecasted to be a very rainy day in Queens but somehow the game began on time. It was still raining but not hard enough to delay things early on. Max Fried took to the mound hoping to shut down the Mets and gain another game in the division standings.
Things were tough early on for the Braves offense as Mets pitcher David Peterson looked like he was locked in. He struck out 5 batters through the first four innings. However, that all changed once the top of the fifth inning rolled around. Atlanta was able to get runners on the corners and Ronald Acuna Jr earned his 38th hit of the season to give the Braves a 1-0 lead.
As if that wasn't exciting enough, Matt Olson then followed that with a mammoth three-run homer to right center field. This was his eighth of the season and gave him the team lead for home runs. Matt was able to get full extension on the swing and the ball cruised through the rain drops and may have gone farther on a clear night.
Absolutely crushed 🤯#ForTheA | @mattolson21 pic.twitter.com/xEWUJ8lo3u
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 29, 2023
Max Fried followed that up with a solid inning of work and pitched well considering the rain was coming down much harder at that point. Fried had an uneventful fifth inning as he ended with a strikeout of Brandon Nimmo. Max ended up allowing just three hits over his five innings of work with just one walk and seven strikeouts.
Since the game went five full innings, it was an official game and gave the Braves a win in the series opening game. They will take on the Mets again tomorrow evening at Citi Field. The game is set to begin at 4:05pm EST. Spencer Strider (3-0, 1.80 ERA) takes the mound for Atlanta and will be opposed by Tylor Megill (3-1, 3.96 ERA).