Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried's savage performance on the mound against the Washington Nationals couldn't have come at a better time.
Fried struck out seven betters while allowing three hits and one earned run in six innings of work on Thursday. He finished the Braves' 10-1 rout of the Nationals with a 2.55 ERA.
Max Fried's performance helped extend the Braves' winning streak to 24 games when their starter pitches at least six innings. Atlanta's streak is the longest in Major League Baseball history. The Braves broke a tie with the Chicago Cubs and the then-Philadelphia Athletics, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The Braves have won 24 straight games when their starting pitcher goes at least 6 IP.
That breaks a tie with the 1935 Cubs and 1931 Philadelphia Athletics for the longest single-season streak since the mound went to its current distance in 1893. pic.twitter.com/mTrjida3I3
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 22, 2023
The Braves had been in a funk after they clinched the NL East division on September 13. Atlanta had lost five of its past seven games leading up to the series opener against the Nationals on Thursday. The Miami Marlins swept the Braves in their three-game set. The Philadelphia Phillies, who are fighting for an NL Wild Card spot, won their three-game road series against Atlanta.
Max Fried's pitching savvy, Ronald Acuna, Jr.'s 140th RBI, and Matt Olson's 53rd home run lifted Atlanta to victory against the Nationals. Although the Braves' high-octane offense has carried them this season, they also need Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Bryce Elder, and Charlie Morton to take charge on the mound in the postseason.
For his part, Max Fried missed a huge chunk of the season due to hamstring and forearm issues. It's great to see him peaking at the right time for the Braves, who are seeking their second World Series pennant in the past three years.
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