SAN DIEGO – Max Fried is back where it started. He’s in his native Southern California, facing the club that once made him a first-round pick – and introduced him to the realities of the business.
The Padres drafted Fried, a star at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, seventh overall in 2021. They traded him to the Braves in December 2014 in the Justin Upton deal. Fried was working his way back from Tommy John surgery. The Padres executive who orchestrated that move, A.J. Preller, remains in charge of the franchise.
“At this point it kind of feels like a different lifetime,” Fried said. “It’s been so much time. I’ve been with the Braves for 10-plus years. At the end of the day, everyone - it’s a business. You move team to team. But it’s just another postseason game. Have to go out there and leave it all out there and try to win.”
Long ago notwithstanding, here’s Fried’s chance to deliver a major blow to the only other franchise he’s known. He’s starting Game 2 of the Wild Card Series on Wednesday, either with the chance to save his team’s season or end the opposition’s campaign.
While Fried’s postseason resume is best known for his performance in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, he’s largely had middling results on the largest stage. He has a 4.57 ERA over 65 postseason innings. He hasn’t pitched beyond six innings in a playoff outing since Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against Cincinnati in 2020.
Fried, though, looks ready for the occasion if his last start was any indication. In a game the Braves were desperate to win, he fell one out short of a complete game. The Braves will need a similar Fried in Game 2, especially given how burned out their pitching has been after Monday’s doubleheader.
“It’s big knowing we have Max in either an elimination game or a game where we can clinch,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Coming off a great start in a big game obviously. It’s good to have a guy with Max’s experience in the postseason to lean on tomorrow.”
This could be Fried’s final start with the Braves as he’s scheduled to hit free agency this winter. But that isn’t at the front of anyone’s mind. The Braves are embracing the underdog role after a couple of years as the favorites. They like that everybody has been picking the Padres in this series. They like that after fighting for their lives at season’s end, they have some momentum.
As the cliché goes, that momentum is the next-day’s starter. The Braves are pretty happy with the lefty they have going.
“Max is as consistent as it gets,” first baseman Matt Olson said. “I always talk about his ability to adjust based off hitters. There’s a lot of guys in the league who have their pitches and that’s what they’re rolling out that day -- three, four pitches.
“I feel like Max is able to tinker with things. He’s got a four-seam that stays true and he’s got a four-seam that cuts. He’s got a cutter, a sinker, a change-up, curve ball sweeper. He’s got all these different components. And he’s really good about figuring out how he wants to approach guys. So you could see him one time and he’ll be a completely different pitcher the next time, try to attack you a different way.
“I think that’s a testament to his preparation, obviously knowing what he wants to do, having a game plan in between the catchers and (coaching coach) Sal (Fasano) and Kranny (pitching coach Rick Kranitz), they put together a good game plan.”
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