PHILADELPHIA – This phrase is often overused, but it fits here: This has felt like a postseason series. The crowds. The moments. The performances. The momentum swings. The good teams.
And in postseason games, the margin for error is often slim.
The Braves came up on the short end of this on Saturday, when they faced Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. They struggled against him – as many do.
The Braves lost, 3-0, at Citizens Bank Park. They were shut out for the ninth time this season.
Five observations:
1. No doubt, the Braves’ offense has looked much better on this trip. The at-bats have been better. The hitters have seemed more selective. They are impacting the ball more consistently.
They ran into a tough break on Saturday: Zack Wheeler at his best is still Zack Wheeler at his best. And sometimes, there is no antidote for a dominant starting pitcher.
“I feel like (it will be a tough night) every time he pitches, quite honestly,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “And then there have been times where you can grind some at-bats, get his pitch count up, hopefully keep the game manageable and get rid of him. That’s kind of the guy. He’s hard to beat. You just hope maybe you can elevate his pitch count and try the next guy.”
Wheeler blanked the Braves over seven innings. They collected only four hits off of him. They struck out seven times and did not draw any walks.
The Braves had a couple of chances, but went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. They had runners on the corners with one out in the third inning, but Whit Merrifield flew out to shallow center field – not deep enough to get the runner home – and Jorge Soler grounded out. In the fifth, the Braves put two on with two out, but Soler struck out looking.
This doesn’t diminish Atlanta’s offensive improvement. Wheeler was just that good.
“Oh no, it’s what he’s got in his pocket every time you face him,” Snitker said. “We had the one chance (in the third), got a couple of guys on. You just hope he maybe makes a mistake. And Max (Fried) was matching him. It was tight there, we just couldn’t get a big hit.”
2. Fried stood in front of his locker to talk to reporters after the game. He went as deep into the game as Wheeler, but allowed three runs – three his offense couldn’t get back.
This is how it goes in these games and when pitching versus other aces.
“I needed to match him. It’s plain and simple as that,” Fried said. “He’s been one of the best pitchers in the league for the last couple of years, a number of years. Especially in this type of atmosphere and this type of game, he’s gonna be throwing the ball well. I think you just got to match him. You just got to figure out ways to do it.”
Fried gave up five hits and walked four batters. That might mean a poor night for others, but Fried calmly found his way through it all.
He served up two home runs – one to Edmundo Sosa in the third inning, another to Trea Turner in the sixth – that put the Braves in a two-run hole. In the seventh, Fried surrendered a third run on a run-scoring double.
He pitched well.
But on this night, perfection was the bar.
“Made some good pitches to some good hitters, made some good swings and hit the ball, and made some mistakes, and maybe walked a couple guys that I wish that I hadn’t,” Fried said.
3. After the bottom of the seventh inning, Michael Harris II ran back in from center field. When he entered the dugout, his teammates swarmed him, giving him high-fives. Fried went up to Harris and hugged him.
Harris had just made one of the greatest catches you’ll ever see.
In that seventh inning, Austin Hays drove a ball off Fried to right-center field. Harris sprinted over there, then went back and back and back. He leaped, climbed the wall, flashed his glove and somehow came up with the ball. Still on the wall, he brought it back.
The Phillies’ relievers in the bullpen – who were behind the play – were in awe. Harris noticed that, and it let him know he’d made the catch.
“It didn’t really kick in until I saw their faces,” Harris said. “I knew I’d made contact with it, and then when I squeezed and felt some weight in there, I knew it was in there.”
It would’ve been a home run that would’ve pushed the Phillies’ lead to three runs.
Instead, it was the first out of the inning for Fried. And while Fried eventually gave up that run in another way, the Braves might’ve found themselves in a bigger hole if not for Harris.
He certainly made one of the best catches of the season – in the entire sport.
“I’ve never had a home run robbery while I was pitching,” Fried said. “Had a couple close calls, but nothing quite to that extent. The way that he slowed down to time it and to do all that in one motion, it’s special. He’s incredible out there. It’s probably the best catch that I’ve had behind me for sure.”
4. Fried got ahead of Turner, 0-2. He threw a ball. Then Turner fouled off three consecutive pitches before taking two more balls.
In a full count, Fried threw a 95-mph four-seam fastball up and in for the ninth pitch.
Turner got to it and hit it out to left field. It was impressive because it wasn’t a bad pitch.
“I’ve been throwing him a lot of fastballs, a lot of fastballs in,” Fried said. “He’s a really good hitter. He didn’t look like he was really on it, and he got to it and hit it over the fence. At a certain point, you just tip your hat. I really liked the pitch, I would’ve thrown it again. It’s a really good hitter that’s seen me a lot of times.”
Turner entered Saturday batting .351 with a 1.039 OPS against Fried, with three homers and seven RBIs. He now has four homers against Fried.
5. Sunday’s game is rather important.
If the Braves lose, they’ll fall to seven games back. If they win, they’ll split the series and be five games behind Philadelphia – just as they were when they arrived here.
It would be a large, and potentially costly, swing if they lost.
Right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach will toe the rubber for Atlanta. The Braves’ offense will face Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola.
“Winning the next day,” Snitker said of the team’s mindset. “Now we turn the page and go forward, and I like who we got on the mound. It’s another tough ride. Those two guys, back to back, are not a lot of fun, I’ll tell you that, because they’re both horses, they both cover innings. Nola just keeps pitching and figuring out a way. They’re two of the game’s best that you’re going against right there.”
Stat to know
450 - Sosa’s homer off Fried went an estimated 450 feet. Of the 75 home runs Fried has given up in his career, only six have gone 450 feet or further. Three of the five have come this season.
Quotable
“Just everybody meeting me at the steps and letting me know how good of a play it was, and telling me that was one of the best plays they’ve seen. I’ve been trying to do that for a while, haven’t came down with it. So, that felt a little good.” - Harris on his team’s reaction to his catch when he went back to the dugout
Up next
Sunday’s series finale will be on ESPN. First pitch is at 7:10 p.m.
About the Author
