Atlanta Braves: Max Fried, Ronald Acuña shine in win over surging Mets
By Steven Teal
The Atlanta Braves kicked off a very important homestand on Tuesday night. Their first challenge came in the form of the New York Mets who have been one of baseballs best teams since the All-Star break.
After a tough series with the Miami Marlins, the Atlanta Braves were probably more than ready to get back to SunTrust Park.
It definitely isn’t fun to struggle against teams that have the record that the Marlins do. Although, it’s safe to say that the teams with the least to lose are sometimes the toughest to face. The Braves were that team just a few short years ago.
Coming home to Atlanta is nice for the players but they also face a tough schedule during this 9-game homestand. They will square off with the Mets, Dodgers, and those pesky Marlins.
The Dodgers series will show this Atlanta Braves squad how they stack up with the best in the National League. However, their first task was to handle the extremely hot New York Mets.
Max Fried took to the mound for Atlanta and opposed Zack Wheeler in Game 1. The Mets pitching staff has been excellent since the All-Star break and has propelled them back into the Wild Card race.
Unlucky for the Mets, they opposed Max Fried who has been much better in his previous 5 starts. He looks much more himself since the start of the second half. Max carried a streak into this outing having won 4 consecutive decisions.
The Braves offense provided the Atlanta southpaw with 5 runs of support on 13 hits. The offense has continued to flourish including the top of the lineup.
They were able to chase Zack Wheeler from the game after allowing 5 runs on 12 hits with just 2 strikeouts. That’s unusual for Wheeler but for some reason, the Atlanta Braves just love facing him.
Let’s discuss a few highlights from Tuesday’s win.