ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:

TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Nationals begin the 2023 season this afternoon with the opener of a three-game series…The teams will play 13 total games this season, with the next series coming at Truist Park in Atlanta from June 9-11.

• Since moving to Atlanta in 1966, the Braves have gone 24-33 (.421) on Opening Day, including just a 12-21 (.364) record when starting on the
road…The .421 winning percentage on Opening Day over this span is the third-worst mark in the National League…Only Miami (12-18, .400) and
Philadelphia (22-35, .386) are worse.

• Overall, the Braves are 25-41 (.379) on Opening Day when starting on the road during the modern era (since 1900).

• This season marks the fourth time in the past five years that Atlanta has opened away from its home ballpark, and the 13th such opener in the last 20 seasons…Just four teams in baseball have opened on the road more frequently than the Braves in that span.

• The Braves have lost four straight Opening Day games, combining to score nine total runs in these contests…They lost 6-3 last season, 3-2 in 2021, 1-0 in 2020, and 10-4 in 2019.

• Today marks the sixth time Atlanta will open the season against the Nationals franchise, including the third time on the road…The Braves have gone 2-3 in these five games, including 1-1 on the road… The teams last opened the season against each other in 2016, with Washington winning, 4-3, in extra innings in the last Opening Day at Atlanta’s Turner Field.

• The Braves last opened the season here at Nationals Park in 2011, when Derek Lowe and four Atlanta relievers combined to pitch a five-hit shutout in the Braves’ win, 2-0.

THE ROSTER: The Braves’ 26-man roster consists of 13 pitchers, two catchers, five infielders and six outfielders. … The roster includes seven players who will be wearing a Braves jersey for the first time in their career this year, including C Sean Murphy…The other six are RH Nick Anderson, RH Joe Jiménez, LH Lucas Luetge, RH Michael Tonkin, OF Sam Hilliard and OF Kevin Pillar.

• The oldest player is 39-year-old reliever Jesse Chavez, while Michael Harris II is the youngest at 22 years old.

• Twelve players return from last year’s Opening Day roster, including 2022 All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Travis d’Arnaud, Austin Riley and Max Fried, who is set to serve as the club’s Opening Day starter for the third consecutive year.

• The roster includes three players who made their first Opening Day roster, including LH Dylan Lee and LH Jared Shuster, as well as Harris II, who won the N.L. Rookie of the Year award in 2022 after debuting last May.

DAY GAMES: All three games of this series against Washington, and four of the six games on the road trip, are scheduled to be played in the daytime.

• The Braves went 24-27 (.471) in day games last season, the 12th worst such record in the majors… In night games, however, the Braves led the majors with a .694 (77-34) winning percentage.

• Atlanta had a .778 OPS in night games in 2022, percentage points behind Toronto’s .778 major league-leading mark…The Braves’ daylight OPS
was just .724.

SPRING RECAP: Atlanta closed out its spring slate with a 7-5 win over Boston Tuesday afternoon, and the Braves compiled an 18-10-3 record in Grapefruit League play…Atlanta’s .643 winning percentage this spring was second best in baseball (St. Louis, .708, 17-7-5).

• The Braves batted .282 as a team this spring, best in baseball, and their 180 runs were most in the Grapefruit League.

• 1B Matt Olson paced the majors with eight homers and 18 RBI this spring, while 2B Ozzie Albies ranked third with 16 RBI.

• LH Max Fried did not give up an earned run in Grapefruit League play, going 4-0 in his four starts.

Tonight’s Starting Pitcher García’s Game Log Wisler’s Game Log

54 Max Fried

Today’s Game
• Set to make his first start of the season and the 109th of his career…Will be his 126th appearance.

• Slated to make his third career Opening Day start today after he also started the opener in each of the last two seasons.

• Fried is 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.

• Fried is one of just five pitchers in baseball to start on Opening Day in each of the last three seasons…Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola has made a majors-most six straight Opening Day starts, while Miami’s Sandy Alcantara, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber and the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole are each set for their fourth consecutive start in their openers.

• He has yet to win a start on Opening Day, going 0-1 with a 5.90 ERA (7 ER/10.2 IP) in his previous two turns.

• His 52 wins over the past four seasons are most in the National League, and 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 56 wins.

• Additionally, the Braves have 70 wins in games started by Fried since the beginning of 2019, the most such wins by a pitcher in the National League… Only Cole again, whose teams have won 71 of his starts, has more in the majors.

2022 Recap
• NL Ranks: BB/9.0 IP (2nd, 1.55), bWAR (3rd, 5.9), ERA (3rd, 2.48), HR/9.0 IP (3rd, 0.583), WHIP (8th, 1.014), Innings (9th, 185.1)

• Completed his fourth full major league season and went 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA (51 ER/185.1 IP) in 30 games, all starts..His 185.1 innings stood as a new career-high total.

• Fried’s 2.48 ERA last season was the 10th lowest in Atlanta franchise history (since 1966), and the lowest by any Braves pitcher to qualify for the ERA title since Tom Glavine (2.47) and Greg Maddux (2.22) each had a lower mark in 1998.

• He allowed more than three earned runs in a start just three times this season, and allowed two earned runs or fewer in 24 of his 30 total starts (80%).

• Pitched against the Marlins, September 4 at Truist Park, and went 5.0 hitless innings with one walk and six strikeouts before a rain delay forced his exit…Got the win after Atlanta beat Miami, 7-1.

• The start marked the third time in his career he has carried a no-hitter through 5.0 innings…He also did so on April 19 at the Dodgers earlier this season, and went a career-best 5.2 hitless innings on April 4, 2019 vs. the Cubs.

• Pitched against the Mets, August 6 at Citi Field, and allowed four runs, two earned, over 6.0 innings to take the loss…Was placed on the 7-day concussion IL following the start, and was activated on August 18.

• Took the loss, just his fourth of the season…Also lost to New York on July 11, and the Mets are the only team in baseball that has beaten Fried since April.

• Started on July 16th in Washington, going 7.0 innings and earning the victory in a 6-3 win…Fanned four and did not walk a batter, one start after walking a career high-tying five on July 11 vs. New York (NL).

• The victory was the 50th of his career, and his 10th of the season…Marked the third time the lefty has reached double-digit wins in his career.

• Since the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966, just two pitchers have reached at least 50 wins in as few appearances as Fried…Pat Jarvis won 51 of his first 114 games, while Kevin Millwood won exactly 50…They both started over 105 of their first 114 career games.

• Was named to his first career All-Star Game after being selected to the N.L. pitching staff…Joined teammates Ronald Acuna Jr., William Contreras, Travis d’Arnaud, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson as All-Star selections…He was not active for the game.

• He is the first Braves pitcher to be selected to the game since Mike Soroka in 2019, and the first left-hander from Atlanta to go since Jonny Venters in 2011.

• Went undefeated in the month of June, posting a 2-0 record and 2.16 ERA (8 ER/33.1 IP), while Atlanta won all five of his starts.

• His ERA ranked 12th in baseball, but his 1.91 FIP led the National League and was second lowest in the majors.

Career Recap
• Acquired by the Atlanta Braves along with INF Jace Peterson, OF Dustin Peterson and OF Mallex Smith from the San Diego Padres in exchange for OF Justin Upton and RHP Aaron Northcraft on December 19, 2014

WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:

HAPPY OPENING DAY!
The 2023 season – the Nationals’ 19th in the nation’s capital – begins on on Thursday with an Opening Day matchup against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park…The Nationals are 8-10 on Opening Day, including 4-6 at home and 4-4 on the road.

• Opening Day 2023 will mark the fifth time the Nationals (2005-pres.) have faced the Braves on Opening Day (2008, 2011, 2016, 2021)…Washington is 3-1 in the previous four contests.

OPENING DAY ROSTER
In addition to announcing their 26-man Opening Day roster, the Nationals made the following roster moves:
• Selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher Anthony Banda, infielder Michael Chavis, right-handed pitcher Hobie Harris and right-handed pitcher Chad Kuhl

• Placed right-handed pitchers Víctor Arano (Right Shoulder Strain), Cade Cavalli (Tommy John Surgery), Tanner Rainey (Tommy John Surgery) and Stephen Strasburg (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) on the 60-day Injured List

• Placed third baseman Carter Kieboom (Right Shoulder Impingement) and catcher Israel Pineda (Right Finger Fracture) on the 10-day Injured list (retroactive to 3/27)

PATRICK’S DAY
Patrick Corbin is scheduled to make his second consecutive Opening Day start for the Nationals this afternoon…It is Corbin’s third career Opening Day start (2023, 2022 and 2018 with ARI).

• Corbin is set to become the fifth Nationals (2005-pres.) pitcher to make multiple Opening Day starts with Washington joining Livan Hernandez (2005-06, 2011), John Lannan (2009-10), Stephen Strasburg (2012-14, 2017), and Max Scherzer (2015-16, 2018-21).

CONGRATS!
Outfielder Alex Call, left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, right-handed pitcher Hobie Harris, first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses and right-handed pitcher Thaddeus Ward made the Opening Day roster for the first time in their careers.

SPRING TRAINING RECAP
The Nationals went 13-12-3 in Grapefruit League action…Some strong performances included:
• Josiah Gray led Major League Baseball with a 0.55 ERA (1 ER/16.1 IP) in five starts…He struck out 14 batters, walked two and did not allow a home run.

• Lane Thomas ranked third in the Grapefruit League with 11 walks

• Alex Call ranked among Grapefruit League hitters in batting average (T6th, .302) and on-base percentage (7th, .381).

• Non-roster invitee Hobie Harris allowed just one earned run on three hits in 10.0 innings (.100 opp. AVG)…He struck out seven batters and issued two walks.

LIKE CLOCKWORK
The Nationals’ average time of game this Spring was just 2:27 in 28 Grapefruit League contests…Washington’s average time of game during Spring Training in 2022 was 3:05…Across all of Major League Baseball, 9.0 inning gametime decreased by 26 minutes in 2023 Spring Training compared to 2022 Spring Training.
• The club’s shortest game was a brisk 2:06 in its final game on March 26 at Miami, while its longest was a 10-7 win over New York (NL) on March 11 that was completed in 3:00

46 PATRICK CORBIN

Left-handed pitcher signed a six-year contract with the Nationals on Dec. 7, 2018…Was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series…Is a two-time National League All-Star (2018, 2013)… Has started at least 30 games for five consecutive full seasons (2017-19, 2021-22), joining Gerrit Cole as the only pitchers since 2017 to accomplish the feat

OPENING DAY
This mark’s Corbin’s third career Opening Day start and second as a member of the Washington Nationals…He was saddled with the loss in last year’s opener, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks in 4.0 innings of work on April 7, 2022 vs. New York (NL).

• As a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Corbin earned the win on March 29, 2018 against the Colorado Rockies on Opening Day…He allowed two earned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.

2023 SPRING TRAINING
Corbin went 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in five Spring Training starts…He struck out 15 batters and walked just two in 18.0 innings of Grapefruit League action…One start was cancelled due to rain which led to a simulated game in it’s place.

• Corbin’s best start came on March 20 vs. New York (NL) when he tossed 6.0 innings of one-run, five-hit ball…He struck out five and did not walk a batter.