Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried made an impressive comeback on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Fried had been sidelined for almost three months due to a strained left forearm.
In his return, Fried showed little signs of rust and dominated the previously strong Cubs lineup. He pitched six shutout innings, allowing only three hits and no walks. Fried also struck out eight batters and had an average fastball speed of 94.7 mph, which is higher than his seasonal average. He managed to generate nine whiffs on 33 swings, with four of them coming from his fastball.
Fried had made five starts earlier in the year before getting injured. In 26 innings, he had an impressive 2.08 ERA (221 ERA+) and a 4.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Fried was the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award last year.
Speaking to reporters, Fried said, “I felt sharper than expected. Had a lot of nervous energy. Just was looking forward to this day for a long time,” according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Fried benefited from the strong offensive performance by the Braves’ lineup. They were leading 8-0 when he left the game, largely because of a seven-run fourth inning that included consecutive home runs and their continued dominance over Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks. The final score remained 8-0.
Looking at Hendricks’ past four regular season starts against the Braves:
- Friday: four innings, seven runs
- June 19, 2022: 4 1/3 innings, six runs
- April 28, 2021: 3 2/3 innings, seven runs
- April 18, 2021: four innings, seven runs
It is worth noting that Hendricks had been having his best season since 2020 prior to Friday’s game. In his first 13 starts, he had a 3.49 ERA (130 ERA+) and a 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Braves and Cubs will play again on Saturday and Sunday, possibly giving fans a preview of a playoff matchup.
