Braves - Yankees DH Preview

IAN ANDERSON pitches in game one.

Anderson makes his major league debut with tonight’s start. • Is ranked by MLB.com as Atlanta’s top pitching prospect, and as the Braves’ No. 3 prospect overall...He is rated as the No. 42 prospect in baseball. • 2020 marks the third consecutive season that Atlanta’s top pitching prospect has pitched for the club in the majors. • Mike Soroka played his first full season in 2019, while top prospect Kyle Wright made his debut in September of 2018. • Atlanta selected Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2016 draft...He was Atlanta’s highest draft selection since 1991, when the Braves took Mike Kelly second overall.

With today’s debut, Anderson becomes the 18th first-round pick from the 2016 draft to debut, and just the fourth high schoool first-rounder to do so. • The Dodgers’ Gavin Lux (11th overall, Indian Trail (WI) HS), Washington’s Carter Kieboom (28th overall, Walton (GA) HS), and the Cardinals’ Dylan Carlson (33rd overall, Elk Grove (CA) HS) are the only other high school first rounders from 2016 to appear in the majors. • Has pitched this season at Atlanta’s altnerate training site. • Started a intrasquad scrimmage at Truist Park on 8/5 and allowed two hits and two runs with 11 strikeouts over 6.0 innings.

Anderson split the 2019 season between two levels of the Braves minor league system, beginning with Double-A Mississippi before finishing the year with Triple-A Gwinnett. • Combined to go 8-7 with a 3.38 ERA (51 ER/135.2 IP) in 26 starts. • His 172 strikeouts ranked fourth most in all of minor league baseball. • In 80 career minor league games, all of which are starts, he is 17-21 with a 2.91 ERA (122 ER/377.2 IP) and 451 strikeouts. • Anderson is set to become the first Atlanta starter to make his debut against the Yankees, and just the third Braves pitcher overall. • Two Braves relievers have debuted against the Yankees...Evan Phillips did so in 2018 (2.1 IP, 2 ER), and Kevin Barry did so in 2006 (3.0 IP, 0 R).

MAX FRIED will start game two.

Fried is set for his seventh start of the season...Makes his 46th career start and his 63rd career appearance. • His 1.32 ERA on the season is lowest in the majors, and his four wins are tied for fourth. • Is one of three qualified starters in the majors to not allow a home run, along with Detroit’s Spencer Turnbull and Houston’s Zack Greinke. • Fried’s 47.1-inning scoreless streak is third longest in the majors, trailing just Phillies reliever Brandon Workman (61.2 IP) and Turnbull (50.2). • Atlanta has gotten just four wins from its starting rotation this season, and Fried has won all four. • Atlanta is one of six teams in the majors to have four or fewer wins from its rotation, and the only team in the majors to record all of its rotation wins by one pitcher.

Fried has won four of his last five starts, beating Tampa Bay (7/30), Toronto (8/4) and Philadelphia twice (8/9, 8/21), and is responsible for three of the five quality starts by Atlanta’s rotation this season. • Fried has compiled 21 wins since the start of last season, most in the majors by a left-hander. • Has never faced the Yankees...Makes his sixth career Interleague start. • Fried has never lost an Interleague game in his career, going 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA (7 ER/30.1 IP) in five starts against the American League, striking out 37 in 30.1 innings (10.98 SO/9.0 IP). • He is one of just five pitchers since the advent of Interleague Play in 1997 to open their career with at least five straight victories against the opposing league, joining Justin Verlander (7 straight), Corey Kluber (6), Brett Tomko (6) and Francisco Liriano (5). • Makes his third start at home this season...Has allowed three runs through 17.2 innings at home this season.

For his career, has an ERA over one full run lower at home than he does on the road...Has compiled a 12-4 record and a 2.97 ERA (42 ER/127.1 IP) in 27 appearances in his home park, and an 11-7 mark with a 4.02 ERA (59 ER/132.0 IP) in 35 games on the road.