<img alt="MLB: JUL 05 Phillies at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ra4KUNQcN7_4XKt7fdyRiRZXFZs=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73568689/2160124917.0.jpg">
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Hoo boy, wouldn’t this be a good time for a vintage Maximum Fried appearance? The homestand continues for the Atlanta Braves and after missing a chance at picking up a sweep against the Colorado Rockies, things are set to possibly get a little tougher as the Toronto Blue Jays are coming into town to start this three-game weekend series.
Max Fried Day has fallen on a Friday and here’s hoping that he’ll be able to make this an even happier Friday than usual. With that being said, Fried has definitely been battling to stay consistent in recent times. While he was able to keep the starting rotation’s streak of only giving up three runs in each of their past 24 starts, it would be flattering to Fried to suggest that this was a great seven innings of work in his most recent outing against the Phillies.
It was the second straight start where Fried had given up three runs and he’s done so in three of his past four starts. In the one exception, he gave up two runs in seven innings against the Phillies. Fried has been steady and solid, sure, but he hasn’t been spectacular lately and we haven’t seen him bring out a truly brilliant performance in a good long, while. Hopefully we’ll see it happen tonight, as it’s still very much clear that this Braves team is going to need their starting pitching to carry them into the Postseason in what’s looking like it’s going to be a very tough fight to simply get in.
On the other side of things, old friend Kevin Gausman will be getting reacquainted with Truist Park as he’s making the start for the Blue Jays tonight. Gausman and Fried seem to be navigating in similar waters this season in that they’ve definitely shown signs of brilliance but it’s come about very rarely. Gausman does have a pair of pretty strong starts under his belt in recent days — however, the caveat is that both of those strong starts came against an Angels squad that is quite clearly playing out the string at this point. With that being said, he did precede that with an eight-inning start against the Orioles where he only gave up two runs, so there’s that. In the meantime, he did give up two runs over just 5.2 innings against the Twins in his last outing and then he gave up four runs (three earned) against the Reds back on August 19. So while he has been effective from time to time, he’s also shown signs of stumbling.
With that being said, Gausman has definitely had a mixed bag of success when it comes to making starts in Atlanta — whether it’s as a member of the Braves or as a visitor. He finished his 2018 stint in Atlanta with a 2.81 ERA and a 3.66 FIP at home but things got interesting in 2019 which is when he sported a lower FIP (3.48) but a much, much higher ERA (5.72) in his home starts. His most recent start in Cobb County took place all the way back in 2021, which is when he rolled in with the Giants and only gave up two runs over six innings despite giving up six hits and only striking out two batters. That ended up being a wild game where Jorge Soler had a homer and three RBIs (!), Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless inning (!!!) and Atlanta’s starter was — wait for it — Max Fried.
So yeah, I’d imagine that this is going to be an interesting one. The Braves are desperate for any wins that they can get and the Blue Jays are trying to end their season on a high while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to go on an absolute tear. Again, the Blue Jays are not your typical last place team and the Braves in their current form aren’t your usual Postseason contender. This figures to be an intense game and hopefully it’ll end with the Braves coming out victorious.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 6, 7:20 p.m. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
<img alt="MLB: JUL 05 Phillies at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ra4KUNQcN7_4XKt7fdyRiRZXFZs=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73568689/2160124917.0.jpg">
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Hoo boy, wouldn’t this be a good time for a vintage Maximum Fried appearance? The homestand continues for the Atlanta Braves and after missing a chance at picking up a sweep against the Colorado Rockies, things are set to possibly get a little tougher as the Toronto Blue Jays are coming into town to start this three-game weekend series.
Max Fried Day has fallen on a Friday and here’s hoping that he’ll be able to make this an even happier Friday than usual. With that being said, Fried has definitely been battling to stay consistent in recent times. While he was able to keep the starting rotation’s streak of only giving up three runs in each of their past 24 starts, it would be flattering to Fried to suggest that this was a great seven innings of work in his most recent outing against the Phillies.
It was the second straight start where Fried had given up three runs and he’s done so in three of his past four starts. In the one exception, he gave up two runs in seven innings against the Phillies. Fried has been steady and solid, sure, but he hasn’t been spectacular lately and we haven’t seen him bring out a truly brilliant performance in a good long, while. Hopefully we’ll see it happen tonight, as it’s still very much clear that this Braves team is going to need their starting pitching to carry them into the Postseason in what’s looking like it’s going to be a very tough fight to simply get in.
On the other side of things, old friend Kevin Gausman will be getting reacquainted with Truist Park as he’s making the start for the Blue Jays tonight. Gausman and Fried seem to be navigating in similar waters this season in that they’ve definitely shown signs of brilliance but it’s come about very rarely. Gausman does have a pair of pretty strong starts under his belt in recent days — however, the caveat is that both of those strong starts came against an Angels squad that is quite clearly playing out the string at this point. With that being said, he did precede that with an eight-inning start against the Orioles where he only gave up two runs, so there’s that. In the meantime, he did give up two runs over just 5.2 innings against the Twins in his last outing and then he gave up four runs (three earned) against the Reds back on August 19. So while he has been effective from time to time, he’s also shown signs of stumbling.
With that being said, Gausman has definitely had a mixed bag of success when it comes to making starts in Atlanta — whether it’s as a member of the Braves or as a visitor. He finished his 2018 stint in Atlanta with a 2.81 ERA and a 3.66 FIP at home but things got interesting in 2019 which is when he sported a lower FIP (3.48) but a much, much higher ERA (5.72) in his home starts. His most recent start in Cobb County took place all the way back in 2021, which is when he rolled in with the Giants and only gave up two runs over six innings despite giving up six hits and only striking out two batters. That ended up being a wild game where Jorge Soler had a homer and three RBIs (!), Luke Jackson pitched a scoreless inning (!!!) and Atlanta’s starter was — wait for it — Max Fried.
So yeah, I’d imagine that this is going to be an interesting one. The Braves are desperate for any wins that they can get and the Blue Jays are trying to end their season on a high while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to go on an absolute tear. Again, the Blue Jays are not your typical last place team and the Braves in their current form aren’t your usual Postseason contender. This figures to be an intense game and hopefully it’ll end with the Braves coming out victorious.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, September 6, 7:20 p.m. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, GA
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
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