Max Fried is pitching as well as he ever has this season, even after a shaky start on Friday against the Orioles. He owns a 2.08 ERA over five outings, which includes a complete game shutout. This is a guy that looks as if he doesn’t want to finish second in the NL Cy Young race again. Fried wants to establish himself atop the National League’s crop of starting pitchers, but recent reports suggest the Braves ace’s health could get in the way.
Following yesterday’s thrilling win over the Orioles in 12 innings, Brian Snitker sounded unsure about Fried making his scheduled start this week.
The Braves aren't saying anything specific regarding Fried. Just saying, "They're working through things." Dodd or Shuster could start Wed. if this is an IL move. Fried didn't indicate any physical ailments after his last start. But uncertainty about his next start is alarming. https://t.co/7z4Cj5mdCN
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 7, 2023
I don’t want to sound the alarms just yet without more information. Hopefully, it’s something minor, but this kind of vague dialect from Snitker isn’t exactly encouraging. It sounds like he’s having something re-evaluated, which for pitchers, is never a promising sign.
It goes without saying that losing Fried for a lengthy period would be a devastating blow for a Braves team that is off to one of their best starts in franchise history. It feels as if the only thing that can derail Atlanta from running away with the NL East is injuries. So far, they’ve been able to overcome a bevy of players missing time, but they also have avoided anything too serious. Hopefully, that’s the case again with Fried because he and the Braves seem to be on their way to accomplishing some very special things in 2023.
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Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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