Max Fried’s efforts to close the gap in the National League East race fell short on Wednesday night as the Braves lost 3-2 to the Phillies at Truist Park. However, Fried’s performance gave the team renewed confidence as he showed significant improvement. Braves manager Brian Snitker praised Fried, saying his command, velocity, and pitch quality were all on point, indicating that “Max is back.”
Fried pitched seven innings, facing the minimum in five of them and requiring just 91 pitches to get 21 outs, a marked improvement from his previous three starts since returning from the injured list. Despite the encouraging signs, Fried was frustrated that he couldn’t hold on to a two-run lead in the sixth inning, expressing his disappointment, especially given the importance of results at this point in the season.
Meanwhile, Orlando Arcia once again found himself in the spotlight, this time after hitting a two-run homer off Aaron Nola in the fourth inning, giving Fried an early lead. Arcia looked back at Bryce Harper, recalling a similar incident from last year’s National League Division Series, where he had taunted Harper in the Braves’ clubhouse.
Harper responded by staring down Arcia after hitting two home runs in Game 3 of the series. When asked if his stare at Harper after Wednesday’s homer was another playful jab, Arcia simply said through an interpreter that he was just enjoying his home run.
