Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried needs this game.
Heck, the Braves need the game, too.
Fried (9-10, 3.49 ERA) will start for Atlanta on Saturday afternoon against the host Miami Marlins.
The Marlins recorded a 4-3 victory on Friday night, damaging the Braves’ playoff hopes.
Miami manager Skip Schumaker said he was impressed with his players’ response after the team’s 20-4 loss to Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
“It was a great team win,” Schumaker said Friday. “It was a long night (on Thursday).”
The Braves (83-71) trail the New York Mets by two games in the race for the final wild-card berth in the National League. Meanwhile, Miami (57-97) has the worst record in the NL.
In some respects, this has been a very good season for Fried, who has a four-pitch mix that tends to induce low-exit velocities.
Last season, Fried was held to 14 starts due to forearm, leg and blister issues. This season, he has been back to health with 27 starts.
It is the third time in four years that Fried has started at least 27 games. However, his record is troubling because he is on pace for his first under-.500 season since 2018, when he went 1-4 as a part-time starter.
In addition, Fried’s ERA — while solid — is his highest since 2019.
For his career, Fried is 71-36 with a 3.11 ERA. Against the Marlins, he is just 5-4 with a 4.44 ERA in 15 career outings. This season, Fried is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA against Miami.
However, he has lost his two past two starts overall. In addition, Fried is just 2-5 with a 4.35 ERA in the second half of this season.
Meanwhile, Miami will start right-hander Adam Oller (1-4, 5.40 ERA) on Saturday.
Oller, who has never faced the Braves, will turn 30 next month. He made his MLB debut at age 27, and his career numbers in the majors include a 4-13 record and a 6.66 ERA in 34 appearances (21 starts).
This year, the Marlins are 1-5 when starting Oller. He had a 3.31 ERA in three August starts. This month, though, he has a 7.63 ERA.
Jake Burger leads Miami’s offense with 27 homers, which is seven short of his career high, set last year.
For Atlanta, second baseman Ozzie Albies, a switch hitter, returned to the lineup on Friday and went 0-for-5.
Albies had been out since July 21 due to a fractured left wrist. He will bat exclusively right-handed because he is still feeling discomfort while swinging from the left side.
“I’m happy to be back with the team,” Albies said Friday. “I will do whatever is in my power to get a ‘W.'”
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Albies’ speed will “energize” Atlanta’s batting order.
“You miss Ozzie when he’s not here,” Snitker said. “He brings heart and soul to our game.”
