The Braves didn’t have much left from their 16-run outburst Tuesday, losing to the Nationals 3-1 on Wednesday at Truist Park on an otherwise beautiful afternoon in Atlanta. The Braves fell to 3-4 with the defeat and are still seeking their first series win of the season.
Here are five observations from Wednesday:
1. Braves starter Max Fried exited in the sixth inning after Nelson Cruz’s comebacker hit him in the hamstring. He met with trainer George Poulis before leaving the field. Fried said he felt sore after the game but wasn’t concerned. He was removed as a precaution and expects to make his next scheduled start, which would be in his native Los Angeles.
Fried pitched 5-1/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He struck out four and didn’t issue a walk. Much of the damage came in the first frame, when Fried allowed three hits and two runs. He retired 14 of the next 16 before surrendering two hits while he was dealing with hamstring soreness.
Over his first two starts, Fried has allowed seven earned runs in 11 innings, striking out nine and walking only one.
“I think there’s a lot of good,” Fried said, evaluating himself. “I’m getting outs on soft contact, which I try to get and thrive on. I also know when I make mistakes over the middle of the plate, they’re getting hit. It’s refining that and knowing that if I’m going to be missing, I’d rather miss a little off the plate than the middle of the plate. Those are the kind of adjustments you make over the season and being more comfortable in a game setting and being able to make that adjustment pitch to pitch.”
2. Nationals starter Josiah Gray walked three, but held the Braves to one hit over five scoreless innings. Gray, acquired last summer in the Max Scherzer trade, has a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Braves since August. He’s struck out 21 Braves in 16 innings.
“I really like the kid from the first time I saw him,” manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s a nice arm. He has a nice delivery, can spin the ball. He’s a nice-looking young player.”
3. Third baseman Austin Riley put the Braves on the board with a solo shot off Kyle Finnegan in the sixth. He had two of the Braves’ three hits. Coming off his breakout 2021 campaign, Riley is 8-for-24 (.333) with two doubles and two homers to begin the season.
“I’ve had some really good at-bats, and at times I feel like I’m not seeing the ball like I want to,” Riley said. “Overall, not a bad homestand. It’s still early, still some things to clean up, still working on things. But I’m excited for (Thursday).”
4. The Braves went 3-4 on their opening homestand, splitting four games with the Reds and dropping the series against the Nationals. The team also started 3-4 last season, not that anyone would remember. The Braves do feel it will help them to get on the road and officially put the fanfare of last year’s title behind them.
“It’s fine,” Snitker said of the Braves’ start. “I kind of like what I’ve seen. There are a lot of positives. I could see us, when we start hitting on all cylinders, being really, really good.”
5. Wednesday was “Champions Day” at Truist Park. The Braves celebrated Georgia’s football national championship. Fans took pictures with the World Series and national championship trophies together. The team shared a “State of Champions” video that commemorated both titles, narrated by former Bulldogs quarterback D.J. Shockley.
Defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who’s expected to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft later this month, threw out the first pitch and visited the broadcast booth during the game. Davis notably wore a Braves jersey during the Bulldogs’ parade day, proclaiming “Go Braves and go Dawgs” to end his speech. Legendary Bulldogs coach Vince Dooley had the microphone for the “Play Ball” cheer before the game.
Stat to know
1 and 3 (After scoring 16 runs on 19 hits Tuesday, the Braves scored one run on three hits Wednesday.)
Quotable
“It was a fun week. Everything the club did to celebrate last year was really good. Now, honestly, I think guys are ready to turn the page, and let’s just play ball and be done with all that. It’s just about ball now.” – Snitker on moving past the team’s World Series celebration
Up next
The Braves travel to California for their first road trip of the season. They’ll play the Padres for four games starting Thursday before returning to Los Angeles, where they last played in the National League Championship Series, to face Freddie Freeman’s Dodgers next week.
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