“Obviously I need to use the things of the past and my past experiences to learn and make the adjustments in the future. So hopefully I don’t make the same mistake twice. But yeah, I’d say I put a lot more emphasis and effort into just good, bad, indifferent, leaving (it) in the past and just concentrating on what I can do about the next.
His performance on Sunday lowered his ERA to 2.48, which is seventh in the MLB behind Justin Verlander, Dylan Cease, Shane McClanahan, Julio Urias, Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen.
Fried, who struckout six, gave up no hits and no runs in five innings before the rain picked up and cut his performance short.
Fried and manager Brian Snitker were eager to see how long Fried could go.
“He threw the ball very, very well,” said Snitker. “I thought he struggled through five last time. This time it was a little, yeah, I expected him to go deep.”
2. Although Fried couldn’t go any longer due to the rain delay, he took comfort in the fact that he has a solid bullpen supporting him. The game was delayed by almost two hours, so the team called in reliever Jesse Chavez when play resumed.
Chavez threw two solid innings, struckout three, gave up one basehit and gave up no runs.
Collin McHugh gave up one run, but held out when the Marlins tried to get closer in the eighth inning.
Kirby Yates closed the game with two strikeouts.
“You know, that was a pretty good homestand,” Snitker said. “The pitching was really good. The bullpen was really good. Had some really good starts. (Heck), that’s what we should be doing this time of year. We’re under 30 or whatever, I think. So hopefully we’ll keep rolling.”
The Braves are fifth in MLB and second in the National League behind the Dodgers with a combined ERA of 3.44.
The team attributes the success of its bullpen to the preparation the relievers are doing and the work completed behind the scenes. It gives the pitching staff confidence that everyone is on the same page.
“That’s a good feeling to know they feel that way,” Chavez said. “Because we have the same feeling when we go down from the first inning. We expect the phone to ring in the seventh inning. Because like I said, because of all the work that they do and the study that they do, the preparation that they do. And I say guys, all you can do is prepare. Once you get there, it’s out of our control. We don’t know if the ball will leak back over the plate, if they will swing or if they will get it. So once we’ve done the preparation, that’s all that matters.”
3. Veteran Marcell Ozuna has done a lot of preparation after missing the last three series. Ozuna has struggled off the field, but the Braves are confident in his ability to contribute.
So Ozuna returned to the lineup on Friday and Snitker said the team wanted to see if he could get back to work.
The 31-year old outfielder seemed to find his rhythm and went 4-for-9 in this weekend’s series. He hit a homerun in the fourth inning on Sunday.
“Yeah, you know, I just worked harder every day in the cage and in stroke practice, trying to get myself in the spot to be able to hit the ball and make contact and then help the team the most I can do it.” said Ozuna.
4. The Braves got another big game from rookie Michael Harris, who extended his hit streak to 12 games.
Harris was 3-for-4 and scored two runs on Sunday. He continues to impress teammates and the coaching staff. He now has 50 RBIs and is tied for fourth place among the MLB rookies.
“It seems like every big moment he steps in there, you know, he gets the job done,” Austin Riley said.
5. The Braves are one game behind the Mets (85-50) in the NL East, but they’re about to embark on a west coast road trip.
After a two-game series in Oakland, the Braves will face the Mariners, who have a top-10 pitching staff with a combined ERA of 3.50. Then the Braves will face the Giants.
The Mets have a simpler schedule, but the Braves have done a good job of beating the teams they should be beating, which has helped them gain ground.
Braves 7, Marlins 1 (box score)
Statistics to know
Heading into the afternoon, the Braves were 19-23 in day games, but have now won four of their last five such games.
quotation marks
“It means he’s a really good player. And he’s come here and the way he’s handled everything is just incredible.” – Snitker on Harris hits 50 RBIs this season
Next one
The Braves head to the West Coast on Tuesday night to take on the Athletics in the first of a two-game series. Braves right-handed Kyle Wright (17-5, 2.85) takes on A’s left-handed Cole Irvin (7-11, 3.35).
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