SEATTLE — Max Fried wanted a different result than he realized after a couple solo homers doomed him in a 3-1 loss to the Mariners on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park. But as he padded his Cy Young Award resume with an otherwise strong performance, he gave the Braves more reason to feel good about the starting rotation they will carry into the postseason.
“We’ve got our five guys that we go with and I think that is part of our success this year,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “[Your rotation] is a big thing to be successful in this game.”
Fried has been the ace of this rotation as he has spent the past three years proving to be one of the game’s top starters. The lefty impressed again against the Mariners, but he didn’t gain enough support to overcome two solo homers. Consequently, the Braves bid farewell to their eight-game winning streak and sole possession of first place in the National League East. Atlanta now sits a half-game behind the first-place Mets.
“It was just one of those days where you had to go out there and throw a scoreless ball,” Fried said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that. But process-wise, I like the way I’m throwing the ball.”
Fried allowed a leadoff homer to Sam Haggerty in the fifth inning and then surrendered another solo shot to Eugenio Suárez in the sixth. Those accounted for the only runs he surrendered over six innings. The Mariners whiffed with nine of 16 swings taken against the left-hander’s changeup.
Still, even though Fried’s effort was impressive, it didn’t trump what the Mariners received from George Kirby, who allowed just one unearned run and three hits over six-plus innings. Dansby Swanson’s seventh-inning leadoff single came off the bat at 100.7 mph, making it the only triple-digit exit velocity surrendered by Seattle’s impressive young starter.
“I feel good whenever Max is out there,” Snitker said. “He was really good again tonight. I thought he threw the ball really well. If we’d have scored five runs, he’d have won the game.”
Fried ranks fourth among NL pitchers with a 2.50 ERA and he entered Saturday tied with the Phillies’ Aaron Nola for the NL lead in Expected ERA (2.77). He is concluding this season much like he did last year, when he posted a 2.44 ERA over his final 25 starts and an MLB-best 1.74 ERA after the All-Star break (14 starts).
Fried ranks sixth among all qualified MLB starters with the 2.13 ERA he has posted going back to June 20 (14 starts). His success is a key reason the Braves have gone an MLB-best 64-25 since June 1. The offense has been impressive, but the starting pitchers have set the tone on a nightly basis, posting a 3.27 ERA (MLB’s fourth-best mark ) during this span.
“Anyone can throw a gem any given night,” Fried said. “We’ve got a lot of talented guys throwing the ball really well. If the guy the night before pitches well and you get a win, it just pushes you that much harder to follow suit.”
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