Braves Briefing: Max Fried is the "X-factor" for Atlanta's stretch run

The Atlanta Braves are the first team in baseball to seventy wins on the season, with a league-leading +165 run differential and an absurd 42-25 record against teams over .500.

And they just added Max Fried back to the rotation from the injured list. The lefty looked phenomenal in his return from the injured list, pitching six scoreless innings against the Cubs with only three hits, no walks, and racking up eight strikeouts.

When discussing their "X-factors for contenders in the stretch run", MLB.com mentioned Fried as being a difference maker for Atlanta.

Atlanta is cruising toward a sixth straight division title, but its World Series championship hopes may hinge on the lefty ace’s ability to stay healthy. He looked great in his return from the IL, tossing six scoreless innings with eight K’s and no walks against the red-hot Cubs on Friday.

In fact, Max Fried historically has looked even better in the 2nd half of seasons, with a 3.02 career ERA but a 2.46 second-half ERA, indicating that he reach a new level of performance across the back half of 2023.

NL East Standings

Team	Record	GB	Action Today
Atlanta	70-38	--	@ Cubs
Philadelphia	60-51	11.5	vs Royals
Miami	58-54	14.0	@ Rangers
NY Mets	50-60	21.0	@ Orioles
Washington	48-63	23.5	@ Reds

We Wrote It

New Braves Today writer Daniel Locke covered yesterday's game and had this prescient note about Bryce Elder's start not being as bad as the stats may have indicated:

Elder has been a reliable part of Atlanta's rotation this season. In his second year at the Major League level, he is 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Today Elder gave up five earned runs off of seven hits in 4.1 innings of action.
The Cubs got going early putting across five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Only three of those runs, however, were earned. Elder tossed two scoreless innings before letting a run across in the fourth and fifth innings, effectively ending his day.
Elder put together a decent day despite the rough beginning. Was it good? Far from it, but Elder has shown his ability to be great plenty of times. This one can be chalked up as a one-off.

Read the full takeaways HERE.

What's Next for the Atlanta Braves

First pitch for tomorrow is set for 2:20 PM ET. Charlie Morton (10-9, 3.62 ERA) will take the mound for the Braves against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele (12-3, 2.65 ERA). Bally Sports Southeast will have the television broadcast and the game can be heard on 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan or on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network or MLB.com.

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