Which version of Max Fried will appear for the Atlanta Braves against the Cubs?

It may not be Friday yet, but the best thing is here because it’s Max Fried Day for the Atlanta Braves. They will look to bounce back from an extra innings loss to the Chicago Cubs to open this series.

This will be Fried’s first time facing the Cubs this season and that was after his only start against them in 2023 was successful. It was last August at Wrigley Field when Fried went six innings, struck out eight, allowed three hits and ended up with zero walks and zero runs allowed. Needless to say, if he re-released this performance, many people on this corner of the internet would be very pleased with this result.

Looking ahead to 2024, Fried has definitely been on a bit of a roller coaster. The valleys have been about as deep as you can get for a pitcher of his caliber, but conversely, the highs have been as high as you’d like to see from a pitcher of his caliber. Fried started the season with a start where he couldn’t get out in the first inning and he also had one of only five complete game shutouts that have been thrown in MLB this season, which is basically a description perfect for Fried’s season. far.

Simply put, I think we will all know right away whether or not Fried has he This evening. If he can get comfortable, we fans should be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. If not, then we might find ourselves in another stressful evening watching baseball. I like to try to stay optimistic, so let’s just say we look forward to the best pitcher in Atlanta’s rotation living up to that reputation again.

Meanwhile, the Braves will have to deal with Justin Steele as Chicago’s starter tonight. Steele has had a rough time so far this season, as suffering a hamstring injury on Opening Day is certainly not conducive to success early in any given season. Steele returned in early May and had a very solid start against the Padres, but since then his last two starts have come against the Pirates and both occasions saw Pittsburgh score him for a handful of runs – he gave up six innings in four in the first start, then found himself with five runs allowed (four earned) in 5.2 innings in his most recent start.

This was against a Pirates lineup that hasn’t been good for most of this season so far and even though the Braves are struggling at the plate, we all know they are certainly capable of going away at any moment . For what it’s worth, the Braves scored three runs against Steele in 5.1 innings when they saw him last season in September and that was after scoring four (three earned) against him in August in 5 ,1 more innings. Other than that, the current crop of Braves players don’t have much experience against Steele, but Matt Olson and Adam Duvall have both homered against Steele in the past, so there’s that.

Basically, the offense needs to start clicking again. Atlanta’s pitchers have essentially kept the team afloat during this difficult time and it’s also extremely tempting to imagine what this team will look like once they’re firing on all cylinders again. We don’t know when they’ll figure things out again – we’re obviously all hoping it starts tonight. While Justin Steele is definitely a talented pitcher, he is clearly in a vulnerable state right now. If Max Fried can deliver the expected performance, this seems like a great opportunity for the Braves to get back in the “win” column and potentially do it again. We just have to wait and see if things go in Atlanta’s favor tonight.