June 25, 2024
CHICAGO (AP) — Max Fried struck out nine while throwing a three-hitter for his second complete game of the season, and the Atlanta Braves beat Justin Steele and the Chicago Cubs 9-2 on Wednesday night.
Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson and Adam Duvall homered for Atlanta, which had dropped five of six. The Braves were 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position one night after they went 0 for 14 in those situations in a 10-inning loss in the series opener.
Fried (4-2) retired his first 15 batters before Ian Happ hit a leadoff double in the sixth. Happ and Dansby Swanson singled in the eighth for Chicago's other two hits.
“Tonight I wanted to make a point of emphasis to go after hitters, get early contact and be a little bit more of the aggressor rather than trying to make a perfect pitch on the corners,” Fried said.
Fried improved to 6-0 with a 1.18 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs. The left-hander got his first major league win when he pitched five innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory at Wrigley Field on Sept. 3, 2017.
The 30-year-old Fried also finished a 5-0 victory over Miami on April 23, striking out six in a three-hitter.
“It's something I pride myself in, on going to deep into games,” Fried said.
Steele was charged with five runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. The left-hander is 0-2 with a 6.53 ERA in four starts since returning from a left hamstring injury.
Steele (0-2) retired his first six batters before Michael Harris II hit a leadoff single in the third. Duvall then connected for his third homer, a 423-foot drive to center.
“Definitely could throw that pitch again and get popped up or something and it shows up a little different in the box score,” Steele said. “But there's guys that are over there just as good as I am. He did a good job with it.”
The Braves broke it open with six runs in the seventh. Ozuna hit a three-run shot off Jose Cuas with two out, and Olson followed with a drive to right for an 8-1 lead.
Ozuna's 15th homer on the eighth pitch of his at-bat extended his hitting streak to 15 games. It was Olson's seventh homer on the year. The duo also hit back-to-back homers off Dylan Cease during a 6-5 loss to San Diego on Monday.
Atlanta had scored a total of 14 runs in its previous six games.
“We get a few of those guys going, I think it will relax everyone else,” manager Brian Snitker said, “and have a chance to, I think, look more like us.”
