Max Fried looks to continue dominant stretch against Orioles
After another successful road trip, the Atlanta Braves return to Truist Park where they will begin a three-game series against the resurgent Baltimore Orioles. Atlanta went 5-1 on the trip and secured a series win against the Mets and a three-game sweep of the Marlins. The Braves enter play Friday with the best record in the National League at 22-10 and have a six-game lead over the Mets and Marlins in the NL East standings.
The Braves elected to push Max Fried back a day to Friday’s series opener rather than have him pitch the final game in Miami. Fried will be making his fifth start of the season Friday and has been lights out since returning from the injured list. Fried allowed just three hits and struck out a season-high seven while tossing five scoreless innings in the rain against New York in his last start. Since returning from the injured list. He has allowed 10 hits while throwing 16 2/3 scoreless innings.
Atlanta heads into Friday’s game dealing with some injury issues. Kyle Wright was placed on the injured list Thursday and could be out a substantial amount of time with a shoulder issue. Michael Harris jammed his knee while stumbling over the first base bag in Wednesday’s game in Miami. It looks like Harris avoided a major injury, but was reportedly sore Thursday and his availability for the opener isn’t clear. Ronald Acuña Jr. fouled a ball off the inside of his right knee in Thursday’s game and was forced to leave the game as a precaution. His injury isn’t thought to be serious, but it is unclear whether he will be in the lineup Friday.
Now for some good news, it appears that closer Raisel Iglesias is closing in on a return to the major league roster after making three rehab appearances with Gwinnett. Brian Snitker said after Thursday’s game that Dylan Dodd would not slot into the rotation which would seemingly open up a roster spot for Iglesias as soon as Friday.
The Orioles stayed in the playoff hunt for much of the 2022 season and have taken another step forward this season. They come into Friday’s series with a 21-10 record and have won 15 of their last 19 games overall. They will go with right-hander Dean Kremer in the opener Friday. Kremer has struggled for much of the season and allowed 11 hits and five runs in five innings to the Tigers in his last outing. He’s allowed 18 hits and nine runs over his last 10 2/3 innings.
First pitch Friday night is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Southeast.
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Friday, May 5, 7:20 p.m. ET
Location: Truist Park, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: Bally Sports Southeast
Streaming: MLB.tv
Radio: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan
Source: Battery Power
