He's back! After a long absence, Max Fried is back on the mound for the Atlanta Braves. The star lefty returned to pitching after recovering from an injury he suffered a couple of months ago. While it wasn't a perfect return, Fried did just enough to fend off the New York Yankees in Game 1 of their series.

After the game, Fried talked about his return to the field. The Braves ace was thankful for the offense for giving him some breathing room during the game, per Mark Bowman.

“The (Braves) offense coming alive and really just blowing the thing open gave me an ability to just take a deep breath, relax and try to just compose myself to eat some innings,” Fried said.

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The Braves' high-powered offense has been their calling card all season long. With many talented hitters on their roster, no lead is truly safe. A rolling offense also benefits the pitching staff. Fried and co. were able to pitch with less pressure on them as the Atlanta hitters racked hit after hit after hit.

With Ozzie Albies absent due to a hamstring injury, the Braves turned to recent acquisition Nicky Lopez once again. Lopez filled in for SS Orlando Arcia in their last game, and he was once again tapped to fill in for an injury. The ex-Royals infielder has been impressive so far, and the team is in good hands.

As for Fried, the BRaves ace did well against the struggling Yankees roster. He did allow two runs in six and two-thirds innings, but that was essentially nullified by Atlanta's 11 runs. Having that sort of run support is freeing for any pitcher. Atlanta is hoping that this savvy combination between and the office continues to prosper.