Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried has been in high-chop form of late; Fried’s recent hot streak includes a shutout against the Miami Marlins on April 23, six no-hit frames versus the Seattle Mariners on April 29, and another no-hitter against the New York Mets, where he tossed seven no-hit innings before being lifted due to a high pitch count. The Braves will hope their star southpaw can continue this run of form as they welcome the San Diego Padres to Truist Park
Fried will Throw a No-hitter if Allowed
The 29-year-old has not allowed a run in three of his last four starts. Fried has only allowed seven hits in his previous four starts, being pulled twice amid a no-hitter. In four career starts against the Padres, Fried boasts a 3-0 record with a minuscule 1.67 ERA. In his lone appearance against San Diego last year, the left-hander tossed five scoreless innings, limiting his pitch count to just 79. Hopefully, if he finds himself 6-7 innings deep on Friday, the Braves will let him go for it. He is playing for a big contract this offseason and will get a bag from some other team, not the Braves.
Padres Struggling and Need a Braves Series Win
The Padres will be eager to turn things around after being swept at home by the Colorado Rockies, a series that left manager Mike Shildt lamenting his team’s frustration with the results. San Diego has struggled to find consistency this season, and they’ll be looking to their right-hander Matt Waldron to provide a spark in the series opener against Fried and the Braves.
Waldron, a knuckleballer, will be making his ninth start of the year, having taken the loss in his previous outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres will hope the 27-year-old can find a way to slow down Fried, who has enjoyed tremendous success against San Diego in his career. It’s not looking good for Waldron, though.
The Padres head to Atlanta fresh off a sweep by MLB’s worst team, the Colorado Rockies. Before that embarrassment, they shocked the NL West leader, the Los Angeles Dodgers, by taking two of three games, proving they could compete with the league’s elite teams. The Braves are that elite team, and it would be a testament to the Padres if they could win the series against the Dodgers and Braves.
Acuna was Injured, Not Giving Up
The Braves have a fresh and healthy Ronald Acuna back after he was struggling last week. Acuna looked lackluster and almost like he was giving up on balls; he could have outrun but was just nursing a minor injury. Austin Riley will be in the lineup again this weekend after missing a couple of games due to an undisclosed injury on Monday. Acuna and Riley will be there to back up Max Fried in his quest to No-hit the Padres this Friday.
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