Sept. 21 – Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried needs this game.
Hey, the Warriors need this game too.
Fried (9-10, 3.49 ERA) will face the host Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.
The Marlins won 4-3 on Friday night, destroying the Braves’ postseason hopes.
Miami coach Skip Schumaker said he was impressed by his players’ response after the team’s 20-4 loss to Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
“It was a great team win,” Shoemaker said Friday. “It’s a long night (Thursday).”
The Braves (83-71) trail the New York Mets by two games in the race for the final wild-card spot in the National League. Meanwhile, Miami (57-97) has the worst record in the NFC.
In some ways, this has been a very good season for Fried, whose four-pitch combination results in a low exit velocity.
Fried started only 14 games last season due to arm, foot and blister problems. This season, he has returned to fitness and has made 27 starts.
This is the third time in four years that Fried has started at least 27 games. His record is concerning, however, as he is coming off his first sub-.500 season since 2018, when he went 1-4 as a part-time starter.
Additionally, Fried’s ERA, while solid, is his highest since 2019.
Fried has a career record of 71-36 with a 3.11 ERA. In 15 career games, he is just 5-4 with a 4.44 ERA against the Marlins. This season, Fried has a 2-1 record and a 2.89 ERA against the Miami Heat.
However, he has lost each of his last two starts. Additionally, Fried went only 2–5 with a 4.35 ERA in the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, Miami will start right-hander Adam Oller (1-4, 5.40 ERA) on Saturday.
Oller, who never played against the Warriors, will turn 30 next month. He made his MLB debut at age 27 and had a 4-13 record and 6.66 ERA in 34 games (21 starts) during his major league career.
This year, the Marlins are 1-5 when Oller starts. He had a 3.31 ERA in three starts in August. However, his ERA this month is 7.63.
Jake Berg leads the Miami offense with 27 home runs, seven runs shy of his career high set last year.
Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies, a pinch-hitter, returned to the lineup Friday and went 0 for 5.
Albies has been sidelined since July 21 because of a fractured left wrist. He has been hitting only with his right hand because he still feels uncomfortable swinging with his left.
“I’m happy to be back with the team,” Albies said Friday. “I’m going to do whatever I can to get that ‘W.’”
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Albies’ speed would “inject life” into Atlanta’s batting order.
“You miss Ozzie when he’s not here,” Snitker said. “He brings heart, soul and heart to our game.”
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