Braves look to start the series right in Philly behind Max Fried

The Braves continued to have trouble with day games, as they lost to the Nationals on Wednesday, but the Mets lost as well and the Braves won the series, so it isn’t a disaster. The Braves start a four game series with the Phillies, which Kris previewed here. They certainly would like to get right behind Max Fried, who is looking to get right himself a bit. Fried has allowed two home runs in the past two games, marking the first time in his MLB career that he has allowed more than one homer in two consecutive games. Fried has been a pretty home run resistant pitcher for most of his career, so this has been out of character for him, even though all four of the homers were of the solo variety. Philadelphia has a good lineup though, so Fried will need to be on his A game to bounce back and help the team find a win.

On the other side, the Phillies will start Ranger Suarez. Suarez is a pretty good starting pitcher, although not on the level of a Zach Wheeler type, who the Braves will now be set to avoid, after he started Wednesday’s game. Suarez finds his success with ground balls and avoiding the home run ball. Suarez is a sinker guy, which you probably could have guessed based on his profile, but he also primarily throws a changeup and four-seamer. He mixes in a few cutters, curveballs, and sliders to keep hitters guessing. His four-seamer is supremely hittable, while the rest of his pitches fall in the range of “solid but not unhittable”. Here’s hoping the Braves offense can make the most of the matchup.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, September 22, 7:20 p.m. ET

Location: Citizen Banks Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: Bally Sports South, FOX

Streaming: MLB.tv

Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 The Fan