NLDS Game 2: Max Fried helps Braves take out Brewers in 3-0 win

Max Fried had another fantastic start on the mound for the Braves. His six strong innings kept the Brewers in complete check and saw the lineup and reliever box clinch a 3-0 shutout victory that tied the NLDS.

As expected, this was another game where the starting pitches mostly got the upper hand and runs were paramount for both teams. The Braves had base runners in each of the first two innings, but couldn’t do much after hiring a guy. That changed in the third inning, when the Braves made Brandon Woodruff blink.

After Max Fried started the inning with a strikeout, Jorge Soler continued his good form against Woodruff by hitting a brace down the line to give the Braves a scoring chance. Freddie Freeman quickly cashed in the chance to score with just one out to right field, tackling Soler and putting the Braves in the lead early.

Then we had a weird moment, which was when Ozzie Albies absolutely crushed a 381 footer – for a double. If the ball had gone a foot further it would have been a 3-0 game at this point. Instead, it was just a 2-0 game and the Braves had to settle for a two-point lead before the end of the third inning.

Fortunately, Max Fried seemed locked up again. He pitched as well as anyone in baseball over the past two months and he continued that strong run into the playoffs while getting a road start. Fried lived up to all expectations and then some as he pitched six extremely strong innings while striking out nine, allowing just three hits, stepping on no one, and allowing no runs. It wasn’t another full game masterclass we’ve seen from Fried, but we’re absolutely going to be doing an outing like this during the playoffs.

Before Fried left the game, the Braves gave him one last run of insurance as a gift. It was from none other than Austin Riley, who had ripped the blanket off the ball as long as Fried was cooking on the mound. This time, Riley hit a flying ball that kept going up and up until it landed well over the fence in right center field for a solo homerun. The Austin stunner took the Braves to 3-0 and the sixth inning was also the end of the line for Brandon Woodruff. We had another pitching duel tonight, but Max Fried came out victorious in this particular battle.

From the sixth inning, it was on the bullpen to bring this thing home. Luke Jackson and Tyler Matzek both came in and Matzek in particular was nails. Matzek entered the seventh with two men and two out and after the Brewers played a pinch hitter mix play Matzek struck Tyrone Taylor at bat to clean up that mess and then found himself in a situation in the eighth with two men and no one outside. It almost seemed like Matzek just needed those runners on base to lock in, as he struck out-at-bat-out-out to finish the eighth inning with the Brewers still scoreless.

Then the ninth round came and it was Will Smith Time. As is customary during Will Smith Time, the tie run came to the plate with no one coming out after Smith walked Christian Yelich, then got BABIP from Luis Urias on a broken bat single. Next, Will Smith gave Lorenzo Cain a safe flight before getting the usual Will Smith double play to finish things off and give the Braves their first win in this divisional series.

After two games in Milwaukee, the Braves are essentially in the position every road team asks for in a playoff series. They come home with the series tied and to be honest they don’t look bad at all. Charlie Morton and Max Fried went blow for blow with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff and it wasn’t all that surprising to see this happening in real time either. Thanks to the aforementioned excellent pitch from everyone involved and some timely shots from Jorge Soler, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley, the Braves are alive and well in this series as it changes locations.

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