Braves Take Series Opener Against Blue Jays

Max Fried shines as the Braves pick up the first win of the weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays

The Atlanta Braves started off the series strong with a 3-1 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Here’s what you need to know about the contest.

Max Fried is primed for the postseason

He is pitching exactly the way you need him to as the team gets closer to October.

Max Fried gave the Braves seven solid innings to get the series started on the right foot on Friday night. He only allowed one run to score (not earned) after an error on a groundball to Orlando Arcia. Fried had a pretty normal night on the mound when it came to his pitch arsenal. He used his top three pitches, fastball, curveball, and sinker just a tad more than average, but nothing drastic.

He finished the night with seven innings pitched, allowing five hits, one run (zero earned), one walk, and eight strikeouts. His 104 pitches created 70 strikes with 16 whiffs and a 32% CSW.

The Rockies had no answer for Max Fried as they were stalled multiple times on the basepaths. They were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and left seven on base while Fried was on the slab.

Was this outing what Jorge Soler needed?

After discussing it in yesterday’s takeaways, Jorge Soler needs to do more. He hasn’t had great numbers since returning to the Braves at the MLB Trade Deadline. Lindsay and I had a great conversation about what would be needed to get him out of the slump he is in. The simple answer? Play him.

That’s exactly what happened tonight. Soler got the start but moved down to fifth in the batting order in the opener and it seemed to do good things for the Braves outfielder. He started the night with a walk, something that has actually been his only bright spot since his return. Before being removed later in the game as a defensive replacement by Eli White, Soler ripped a double with an exit velocity of over 110 mph. He finished the night 1 for 2 with a walk and an RBI, and it might not seem like huge numbers, but getting him on the right path before the schedule get’s more difficult (Dodgers, Mets, Royals) is crucial to keep this team in the postseason race.

and it wasn’t just him.

For the second straight start, Jarred Kelenic stepped up at the plate. His 102 mph RBI single in the second inning brought in Soler for the Braves first run of the ballgame.

There were plenty of hard-hit baseballs from the Braves lineup on Friday night, and although they grabbed the win by two runs, it could have been more. In the bottom of the second inning, Atlanta pushed the workload onto Blue Jays pitcher and former friend Kevin Gausman. He faced nine batters in the inning and allowed three runs. Matt Olson was about eight feet shy of hitting a grand slam and really opening it up.

Another injury for the Braves to deal with

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A Braves player getting hurt this season.

Whit Merrifield found himself back in the lineup for the first time since the series opener against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. Braves manager Brian Snitker moved him into second in the batting order, but unfortunately couldn’t finish the game yet again. He was pulled from the game in the seventh inning after hitting a foul ball off the inside of his foot at the plate in the fifth. Somehow Gausman found a way to make it to a quality start, as he mostly settled after that dreadful second inning. He gave up 10 hard-hit balls (exit velocity over 95 mph) to Braves batters.

After the game, Snitker said that the X-rays were negative, and just like his head injury early in the week he will receive a CT Scan to ensure no damage is present. He is once again considered day-to-day.

Bullpen is on FIRE

The Braves went with the ‘high leverage’ guys out of the bullpen to ensure they wouldn't lose their second straight game. Joe Jimenez did his thing in the eighth inning with another impressive inning only facing the minimum.

The hottest closer in baseball Raisel Iglesias threw two beautiful two-seam fastballs to strikeout the first two batters he faced. He then allowed two hits to outfielder Eli White to put runners at the corners with two outs. It was the first time since July 30th (17 appearances that Iglesias allowed more than one hit in a relief appearance.

He shut the door for his 31st save of the season when he recorded his third punchout of the evening against George Springer. He continues his impressive streak by not allowing an earned run to score over 32.1 innings of work. That’s 28 appearances going back to June 18th.

What’s Next?

Atlanta moves to 77-64 on the season, 13 games above .500 ties their season best.

The Braves will continue their series with the Blue Jays with game two of the series on Saturday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:20 PM EST on Bally Sports Southeast. Spencer Schwellenbach will be on the mound for the Braves as he will go up against Blue Jays José Berrios.