ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Pirates tonight continue a four-game series in what is the third of seven scheduled meetings between the clubs this season…Pittsburgh is slated to visit Atlanta for a three-game set, September 8-10.
- The Braves rallied to beat the Pirates, 8-6, last night to even the series at one game apiece… Atlanta is 9-1 in its last 10 games with Pittsburgh dating to July 7, 2021.
- The Braves went a perfect 7-0 against the Pirates last season, just the second time in the franchise’s modern era they swept a season series of seven or more games with an opponent…The 1993 Braves went 13-0 against Colorado.
- Atlanta has won the season set with Pittsburgh every year since 2018 in which they have played, going a combined 22-7 (.758) in that span…In addition to last year’s perfect mark, the Braves went 4-3 in 2021, 5-2 in 2019 and 5-1 in 2018 versus the Pirates…The two did not meet in 2020.
- Last night’s win moved the Braves over .500 all-time at PNC Park since the stadium opened in 2021, pushing their record to 36-35 here… Atlanta won all three games here at PNC Park last season, its first series win here since a sweep in 2018.
- LH Max Fried tonight is set to make his sixth career start against the Pirates, and is 3-1 with a 4.20 ERA (14 ER/30.0 IP) over his first five turns…In two starts with Pittsburgh last season, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-hander went a perfect 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA (2 ER/14.0 IP)…In six starts for Atlanta this season, Fried is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA (6 ER/32.0 IP), and pitched 6.0 scoreless inning in his return from the injured list last Friday.
- RH Quinn Priester is slated for the fifth start of his major league career tonight, and his first against Atlanta…The 6-foot-3, 207-pound native of Glendale Heights, IL, is 2-1 with an 8.69 ERA (19 ER/19.2 IP) over his first four starts, with the Pirates going 3-1 in his turns…He is currently rated as Pittsburgh’s No. 3 prospect by MLB.com.
WIN: Atlanta rallied with three ninth-inning runs to come back and beat Pittsburgh, 8-6, last night…The win stopped the Braves’ three-game losing streak on the road.
- Atlanta trailed, 6-5, in the eighth inning last night before rallying to win…The Braves are 10-33 (.233) when trailing in the eighth this season, easily the best record in baseball…For reference, the major league winning percentage when trailing in the eighth is just .107 (181-1,508)…The Braves are the only team with a winning percentage over .200.
- The victory snapped Atlanta’s three-game losing streak on its current road trip…The Braves have not lost four straight on the road since June 6 to June 12 of 2021, when they dropped two each in Philadelphia and Miami.
- Six of Atlanta’s 14 hits last night went for extra bases…The Braves’ 419 extra-base hits this season are most in the National League.
MATT OLSON: Went 1-for-3 last night and drew a bases-loaded walk to collect his majors-most 100th RBI on the year…He has driven in a run in each of Atlanta’s last 11 games, the longest active RBI streak in baseball.
- Since RBI became an official stat in 1920, Olson is the only player in franchise history to drive in a run in 11 straight games…Just two other players have done so in 10 straight – Sid Gordon first did so in 1951, and Freddie Freeman matched the mark in 2019.
- He is the first player in baseball with an RBI in 11 straight games since 2011, when Carlos González did so for the Rockies…No player has an RBI in 12 straight in a single season since the Angels’ Garrett Anderson in 2007.
- With the RBI, Olson matched the mark for the fastest Braves player, by team games, to reach 100 RBI franchise history…Wally Berger first set the mark, reaching 100 RBI in Boston’s 111th game in 1935…Hank Aaron held the previous Atlanta-era mark, doing so in 114 games in 1970.
- In the Live-Ball Era (since 1920), 10 players (15 instances) have reached both 40 home runs and 100 RBI by their club’s 112th game in a season…Since 1962, that number shrinks to five players; Mark McGwire (1998-99), Sammy Sosa (1998), Luis Gonzalez (2001), David Ortiz (2006) and Chris Davis (2013).
- Olson is on pace for 57 homers and 146 RBI, both of which would stand as single-season franchise records in the modern era (since 1900).
KEVIN PILLAR: Tied the game with a first-pitch single in the ninth inning last night…It was the first RBI of his career to tie the game with two outs in the ninth
inning or later.
- Among batters with no more than 125 at-bats this season, Pillar’s 19 RBI are the most in baseball…His six home runs and 18 runs scored are both third among such batters.
- Pillar come off the bench in last night’s sixth inning, and is one of just two Braves with an RBI this season when not starting…He has four such RBI, while Travis d’Arnaud has two.
RONALD ACUÑA JR: Drove the second pitch of the game out to center last night, the 31st leadoff home run of his career…The shot extended his own franchise record.
- The drive was his fifth leadoff home run of the season, tied for third most in the majors…Since his debut season in 2018, just two players in baseball have homered leading off a game more frequently… George Springer has 38 leadoff homers in that span, and Mookie Betts has 35.
- Acuña Jr. is batting .414/.491/.667 in the first inning this season, and leads all of baseball in first-inning hits (41), runs (33) and stolen bases (15)… He has struck out just seven times in 111 games leading off.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #54 Max Fried LHP
2023 Record: 3-1, 1.69 ERA • 2022 Record: 14-7, 2.48 ERA
vs. RHB: .214 (19-89), 1 HR • vs. LHB: .231 (6-26), 1 HR
Home: 0-1, 3.55 ERA (5/12.2) • Away: 3-0, 0.47 ERA (1/19.1)
Today’s Game
- Set to make his seventh start of the season and first of the year against Pittsburgh.
- Was reinstated from the 60-day injured list on August 4 and made a start against Chicago (NL) after missing 70 games, 90 days between appearances.
- Spun 6.0 scoreless innings of three-hit ball with eight strikeouts on the day.
- Landed on the 60-day IL on May 9 (retro May 6) with a strained left forearm.
- Fried went 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA with 13 strikeouts in four rehabilitation appearances.
- Made three starts with Triple-A Gwinnett and one with High-A Rome.
- Became just the fifth pitcher since 1901 to only allow one run through March and April with at least four games started.
- Joined Hall-of-Famer Walter Johnson, Roger Clemens, Fernando Valenzuela and Minnesota’s Pablo López as the only other pitchers to do so (since 1901).
- Went 6.0 innings, allowing eight hits, seven runs, five earned, two walks and seven strikeouts in his last start on May 5 against Baltimore.
- His 55 wins since the beginning of the 2019 season are the most in the National League, and tied most by any left-hander in baseball.
- Only one pitcher, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, has more wins than Fried since the start of 2019…Cole has 66 wins.
- Additionally, the Braves have 74 wins in games started by Fried since the beginning of 2019, the most such wins by a pitcher in the National League… Only Cole and José Berríos have more, whose teams have won 87 and 79 of their starts, have more in the majors.
- Teammate Charlie Morton’s teams has 73 wins during that span.
2023 Recap
- Fried picked off his first baserunner of the season as he caught OF Jake Myers attempting to steal second base in the top of the third inning on April 17.
- Since the beginning of the 2017 season, Fried’s 24 pickoffs are the most in baseball.
- Fried was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring on March 30 and activated from the IL on April 17.
- Made his third career Opening Day start after he also started the opener in each of the last two seasons.
- Fried was the first Braves lefty to make consecutive Opening Day starts since Hall-of-Famer Warren Spahn started six straight, 1957-1962.
- Prior to Fried, the last Braves lefty to start Opening Day was Tom Glavine in 2002.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES:…..lost 8-6 Tuesday night, which was the team’s second loss in four games when leading after eight innings…Have gone 10-8 in their last 18 games since losing each of their first five games following the All-Star break…Are in a stretch that has the team playing 16 straight days until their next scheduled off day on August 17…Have gone 2-0-2 in their last four series.
BOMBS IN BUNCHES: The Pirates hit four home runs last night and have now gone deep 29 times since July 21…That’s the fourth-most home runs in all of MLB in that time behind the Braves (33), Cubs (31) and Astros (30).
REYNOLDS ROLLING: Bryan Reynolds is hitting .324 (22-for-68) with a double, six home runs, 10 RBI, .378 OBP, .603 slugging percentage and .981 OPS in his last 17 games dating back to July 21…Reynolds is tied with Atlanta’s Matt Olson for fifth in the National League in total bases (41) in that time…The only four National League players with more total bases in that time are Los Angeles’ Freddie Freeman (58), New York’s Pete Alonso (52), Chicago’s Cody Bellinger (47) and San Diego’s Juan Soto (44).
ON Q: Quinn Priester will make the fifth start of his big league career in game three of this series against the Braves…Priester had a no-decision (4.0ip+/3r) in his last start Friday at Milwaukee in the team’s 8-4 win…Since losing his big league debut on July 17 against the Guardians, Priester has won each of his last two decisions on July 24 at San Diego and July 29 against the Phillies.
BACK WHEN HE WAS A REALLY YOUNG BUC: The Pirates selected Quinn Priester 18th overall in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft…Priester earned the first win of his professional career on July 29, 2019 when he allowed two runs in 5.0 innings against the Gulf Coast League Braves (Atlanta’s Michael Harrris II hit leadoff in that game).
15 UP, 15 DOWN: Andre Jackson recorded four strikeouts while retiring each of the six batters he faced in his second appearance as a member of the Pirates on Tuesday…Jackson worked 3.0 perfect innings Saturday night in Milwaukee in his Pirates debut…Tuesday was Jackson’s first outing at PNC Park since making his big league debut in Pittsburgh on August 16, 2021 when he worked 4.0 scoreless innings while recording five strikeouts in a 2-1 Dodgers win.
NO WHEN TO HOLDERMAN: Colin Holderman brings a scoreless streak of 9.2 innings into today (his second scoreless streak of 9.2 innings this season)…Since Holderman’s scoreless streak began on July 16, he has limited opposing hitters to just three hits in 32 at-bats (.094 batting average against) while recording 12 strikeouts.
CHARLES IN CHARGE: Last night 2023 13th round draft pick Charles McAdoo went 6-for-6 with two home runs and eight RBI for Single-A Bradenton…That’s the most hits and RBI by any player at the Low-A level this season…It was also the most RBI by a member of Marauders since the team came into existence in 2010…McAdoo is now 11-for-16 with a double, two home runs and 10 RBI in his first four professional games since being drafted by the Pirates out of San Jose State (CA) University.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU: Thomas Hatch spent a majority of the 2023 season with Triple-A Buffalo prior to being claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Sunday (he also made six relief appearances for the Blue Jays)…Hatch made his big league debut in 2020 and posted a 3-1 record and 2.73 ERA (26.1ip/8er) in 17 appearances (one start) while also being named Toronto’s Rookie-of-theYear by Baseball America.
FEELING THE DRAFT: Colin Selby was Pittsburgh’s 16th round selection in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Randolph-Macon (VA) College…When he makes his debut he will become the third Randolph-Macon alum to play in MLB along with Frank Walker from 1917-25 and Paul Gilliford in 1967.
GO JOE: Connor Joe led off the fourth inning Monday night with his ninth home run of the season after also going deep Sunday in Milwaukee…It’s the second time in Joe’s career that he has gone deep in back-to-back games after also doing so earlier this year from April 27-29 (game one)…Joe has hit safely in each of his last six games, going 7-for-21 with a double and two home runs.
ANDREW ON THE BASES: Andrew McCutchen enters today with a 13-game on-base streak (it’s the fourth time this season McCutchen has reached base safely in at least 13 straight games)…McCutchen’s 16.3 percent walk rate is the third-highest in MLB behind Juan Soto (19.8%) and Lamonte Wade Jr. (16.4%)…Teammate Jack Suwinski ranks 10th in MLB with a walk rate of 14.2 percent…As a team the Pirates rank fifth in all of MLB with a 9.2 percent walk rate according to FanGraphs.
STARTING PITCHER – 64 – RHP QUINN PRIESTER
QUINN PRIESTER: The 22-year-old righthander will make his fifth big league start after being promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on 7/17…He had a no-decision (4.0ip+/3r) in his last start Friday in the team’s 8-4 win at Milwaukee.
VS. ATLANTA: Has never faced the Braves.
