SAN DIEGO — This wasn’t how Max Fried, or anyone related to the Braves, anticipated he would fare throughout what may need been his last begin for the group.
Fried skilled each bodily and emotional ache as he accomplished simply two innings within the Braves’ season-ending 5-4 loss to the Padres in Recreation 2 of the Wild Card Sequence on Wednesday evening at Petco Park. The Fernando Tatis Jr. liner he took off his bottom within the first inning led to the frustration felt throughout San Diego’s five-run second inning.
“It is irritating understanding that I used to be the one to take the ball on the final day and put us within the gap, to not be capable of not less than give us a shot for tomorrow,” Fried mentioned.
There is no such thing as a tomorrow for the 2024 Braves. However does Fried nonetheless have a future in Atlanta? He’s the membership’s second-longest-tenured participant, debuting seven days after Ozzie Albies did in August 2017. However the free-agent market and a major payday now await.
“[Wearing the Braves uniform] means every part,” Fried mentioned. “It is the group that traded for me and gave me the chance to return to the large leagues and be a longtime large league participant. I clearly do not know what is going on to occur, however I’ve completely liked each minute of it, and hope to have many extra.”
Sadly, these are the identical sentiments Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson had earlier than they each ended up elsewhere as free brokers. Freeman had the fortune of successful the 2021 World Sequence throughout his last recreation for Atlanta. Swanson’s anguish was clearly seen as his last recreation for his hometown group was a Recreation 4 loss to the Phillies within the ’22 NL Division Sequence.
If this was Fried’s last efficiency for the Braves, he’ll have skilled the cruelest ending. He surrendered Luis Arraez’s infield single to start his begin after which took Tatis’ 99.8 mph liner off his rear. He stayed within the recreation and escaped the bases-loaded menace that developed after one other infield single.
“It caught me proper within the glute and it simply appeared to tighten up going into that second inning,” Fried mentioned. “I attempted as a lot as i might to get by it, however I simply saved lacking center. I wasn’t making good pitches and placing them in good spots. Whenever you’re going through a group like that, you may’t be leaving a ball over the center of the plate.”
Kyle Higashioka’s two-out homer prolonged the second inning and set the stage for 3 straight singles (two of the infield selection) to precede consecutive extra-base hits by Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.
When Fried was hit, there was cause to marvel if he’d reply like he did when his ankle was crushed whereas protecting first base within the first inning of Recreation 6 of the 2021 World Sequence. He tossed six scoreless innings in that clinching victory.
However this begin didn’t evolve wherever close to as favorably. Fried has produced a 6.08 ERA over his previous eight postseason begins going again to the start of the 2021 playoffs. He hasn’t accomplished 5 innings in any of his previous three playoff begins.
All of this simply added to Fried’s frustration. A late-season virus adversely affected his begin towards the Phillies within the 2022 NLDS and a finger blister added to his problem throughout final 12 months’s disappointing begin towards Philadelphia within the ’23 NLDS.
“I hope he’s again, I actually do,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud mentioned. “He’s given his coronary heart and soul to this group.”
