Worst nightmare: Braves totally humbled” by Phillies as Michael Harris set new challenge record” with a terrific performance’ Here’s what you need to know about from the contest Oops…
The highly anticipated Max Fried vs. Zack Wheeler pitching match was lost by the Atlanta Braves to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, 3-0. What you need know about the competition is as follows.
Here’s what you need to know about from the contest.
MAX FRIED PITCHED WELL
For a few seasons now, Max Fried has been among the better pitchers in baseball. However, there’s something unique about the Phillies. This season, Fried’s has had trouble against them, giving up 10 runs in 13.2 innings throughout his three starts. The last start he had in Truist Park last week was his lone good one; in seven innings, he gave up just two runs while taking a no decision.
Tonight was similar. Philly tagged Fried for three runs in his seven innings, taking the bad-luck loss. He allowed just five hits, but two of them were solo homers, and he walked as many batters as he struck out (four).
Fried gave up nine hard-hit balls to Philly, including seven of the game’s eight hardest-hit balls. One of the homers he gave up, to Edmundo Sosa, traveled 450 feet to left-center – it’s just the sixth homer of Fried’s career to be hit that far
Tough night for the lefty, especially when… ZACK WHEELER PITCHED LIKE A CY YOUNG CANDIDATE Wheeler, who is sitting well behind Braves starter Chris Sale in the National League Cy Young race, pitched tonight like he was trying to make it a legit contest again.
The righty went seven innings, allowing only four hits and not walking anyone, striking out seven. Atlanta didn’t pick up their first hit until the 3rd inning, and Wheeler promptly stranded that runner at third. The Braves only got one more runner into scoring position off of him, with Gio Urshela advancing to second base after back-to-back two-out singles, and Wheeler stranded him there with a strikeout of Jorge Soler.
THE OUTFIELD DEFENSE WAS EXCEPTIONAL TONIGHT Both centerfielders single-handedly kept runs off the board with homer robberies in this one. In the top of the sixth, Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas took one away from Matt Olson in the most casual home run robbery of all time:
Not to be outdone, Michael Harris II made one of the greatest outfield catches I’ve ever seen a Braves outfielder make to rob Austin Hays of a homer:
The best part of this Harris homer was it kept Atlanta’s record-setting starting pitcher streak alive: Fried’s outing is the 20th consecutive game where a Braves starter has allowed three runs or less, extending their own record that they set last night.
