ATLANTA BRAVES NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Nationals tonight open a four-game weekend series with what is just the seventh of 13 games between the teams this season…Atlanta has already concluded play with every other team in the N.L. East, and plays Washington in seven of its final 10 games this year. Atlanta has won each of the first two series between the clubs this season, two-games-to-one, and is 4-2 versus Washington on the year. The Braves went 14-5 against the Nationals last season, the second consecutive season in which Atlanta won 14 of the 19 matchups between the clubs…The Braves are 32-12 (.727) against the Nationals since the start of 2021. Atlanta has won the season set with Washington in each of the last five seasons dating to 2018, combing to go 59-33 (.641) versus the Nationals in that span. Atlanta scored 116 times in its 19 games against Washington last season, a year after outscoring the Nationals 101-73 (+28) in 2021…Last year marked the 11th time the Braves scored triple digits against a single team in a season since the turn of the century…The 2004 team has the most in that span, scoring 128 runs against the Expos. LH Max Fried has made 16 appearances and 15 starts against the Nationals in his career, including once this season, and is 6-4 with a 4.44 ERA (36 ER/73.0 IP) all-time versus Washington…The 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-hander started here at Nationals Park on Opening Day this season and pitched 3.1 one-run innings before leaving with a strained left hamstring. RH Jake Irvin is set to make the 24th start of his rookie season and the first of his career against Atlanta…The 6-foot-6, 227-pound native of Edina, MN, was selected by Washington in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of the University of Oklahoma, and has compiled a 3-6 record with a 4.34 ERA (57 ER/118.1 IP) in his debut campaign.
LOSS: The Braves fell to the Phillies, 6-5, in extra innings yesterday afternoon, and dropped the series, two-games-to one…Atlanta moved to 11-3 (.786) in rubber games this season, and had not lost such a game since August 6 at Chicago (NL). The Braves out-hit the Phillies, 9-5, and fell to 46-3 (.939) this season when out-hitting their opponent by at least four…The other losses occurred on May 26 vs. Philadelphia and June 23 at Cincinnati. The Braves lost for just the third time in extra innings this season, moving to 7-3 (.700) in such games on the year…That is tied for the fourt-best extra-inning record in the majors…Four of Atlanta’s 10 extra-inning games this season came versus Philadelphia, and yesterday’s loss was the only Braves defeat.
FINAL TRIP: Atlanta tonight begins its final road trip of the season, making a one-city, four-game stop here in Washington…The Braves also opened their season here in DC, taking two-of-three from the Nationals, March 30 to April 2. The Braves have gone 49-28 (.636) on the road this season, the best such record in the National League and behind just the Orioles (50-27, .649) for the best mark in baseball. With a sweep here in Washington this week, Atlanta will tie the mark for the best road record in modern-era franchise history…The 1993 club went 53-28 (.654) away from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to hold the current mark. The Braves’ current road winning percentage of .636 is fourth best for the club since 1900, trailing just that ’93 team, Milwaukee in 1957 (50-27, .649), and the strike-shortened ’95 Braves (46-26, .639). Atlanta needs one win this weekend to become the fifth club in modern-era franchise history to win 50 games on the road, and the first since the 1998 Braves went 50-31. The Braves have batted .270/.337/.490 with a majors-best .827 OPS away from Truist Park this year, and they lead all of baseball in hits (734), homers (148), runs (441) and extra-base hits (295) on the road for the season.
SUCCESS IN WASHINGTON: The Braves took two-of-three at Nationals Park in the opening weekend of the season, and are 27-8 (.771) in Washington since the start of the 2019 season. Atlanta has outscored Washington, 210-129, here in that span, and outhomered the Nationals, 72-26. The Braves pitching staff has compiled a 3.42 ERA (118 ER/310.1 IP) here in that span, and is allowing the Nationals to bat just .231/.314/.351 with a .665 OPS against them. The Braves’ 27-8 record here since 2019 is the best mark in the National League by any team in a single road city in their division…Milwaukee has the next-best record, going 28-11 (.718) at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. From 2014-2018, Atlanta went just 16-33 (.327) here at Nationals Park, including going winless in 10 games here in 2015.
HOME RUN CHASE: The Braves did not hit a home run yesterday afternoon, just the 17th time this season that Atlanta did not homer in a game…That total is fewest in baseball by 16 games (Dodgers, 33). Atlanta has 291 home runs on the year, third most in a single season in baseball history behind just the 2019 Twins (307) and Yankees (306). The Braves are currently on pace for 310 home runs on the year, and need 17 homers in their final 10 games to set the record.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher – #54 Max Fried LHP
2023 Record: 7-1, 2.64 ERA • 2022 Record: 14-7, 2.48 ERA
vs. RHB: .258 (59-229), 5 HR • vs. LHB: .205 (8-39), 1 HR
Home: 2-1, 3.86 ERA (13/30.1) • Away: 5-0, 1.74 ERA (7/41.1)
Today’s Game
- Set to make his second start against Washington this season and 14th on the year.
- Fried scattered four hits over 5.0 innings of one-run ball against Philadelphia in his last start.
- Fried is 21-16 with a 3.74 ERA in 69 appearances against NL East opponents.
- Is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in three starts against Divisional opponents this season.
- Is 5-0 with a 2.98 ERA in eight starts since being reinstated from the IL on 8/4.
- His 2.64 ERA is the fourth lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 10 starts.
- His 2.84 FIP is the third lowest in the National League (min. 10 starts)…Trails teammate Spencer Strider and Chicago’s Justin Steele
- 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.
- 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.
- Fried picked off New York’s Harrison Bader on August 14, his second successful pick-off of the season.
- Fried’s 25 successful pickoffs since debuting in 2017 are the most in baseball and five more than the next closest pitcher, Washington’s Patrick Corbin.
- Corbin has attempted 434 pickoffs in that time, compared to Fried’s 172.
- Fried has successfully nabbed a runner on 14.5 percent of his career pickoff attempts, drastically higher than the MLB average since his debut (1.7 percent)…Since 2017, 1.6 percent of MLB’s successful pick attempts have been executed by Fried.
- His 59 wins since the beginning of the 2019 season are the most in the National League and the 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 69 wins.
- Additionally, the Braves have 80 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 91 and 81 of their starts, have more in the majors.
- Teammate Charlie Morton’s teams also have 78 wins during that span.
2023 Recap
- 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).
- 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.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOTES:
OPPONENT – ATLANTA BRAVES
The Nationals and Braves will meet 13 times this season (7 in D.C., 6 in ATL)…Nationals manager Dave Martinez capped his 16-year Major League career with Atlanta in 2001, hitting .287 in 120 games…Nationals first base coach Eric Young Jr. is the son of Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr… CJ Abrams is a native of Alpharetta, Ga. and graduated from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School…He was named 2019 Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year while leading Blessed Trinity to a top-50 national ranking…Michael Chavis graduated from Sprayberry High School in Marietta.
SERIES BUSINESS
The Washington Nationals close out the 2023 home slate with a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves starting Thursday… Coincidentally the Nationals also opened the 2023 season against the Braves at Nationals Park. The Nationals are coming off a series victory against the Chicago White Sox thanks to a 13-3 win on Wednesday afternoon…Lane Thomas (grand slam), Dominic Smith (solo) and Joey Meneses (2-run) all homered while Josiah Gray (5.0 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 SO) earned his eighth win.
MASHIN’ MENESES
Joey Meneses has homered in back-to-back games and is 4-for-7 (.571) with five RBI in these two games. He is 14-for-40 (.350) with two doubles, two homers, nine RBI, two walks and five runs scored over his last 11 games…He has hit safely in eight of the 11 and has reached safely in nine of 11. He ranks in the National League in doubles (T7th, 34) and hits (9th, 161).
WORTH THE RISP
Joey Meneses (3rd, .365) and Keibert Ruiz (6th, .357) each rank in the top six in the National League in batting average with runners in scoring position this season…The Los Angeles Dodgers (Mookie Betts/Freddie Freeman) are the only other club to have two players in the top 10 in the National League. Meneses’ 58 hits with runners in scoring position are the most in Major League Baseball.
BULLPENNING
Some notes on a few Nationals relievers:
- Jose A. Ferrer has pitched to a 0.82 ERA (1 ER/11.0 IP) with a .167 opponents’ average (6-for-36) over his last 12 outings.
- Robert Garcia has allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts in his last six outings (7.0 IP)…He’s posted a .095 opponents’ average (2-for-21) over this stretch.
- Together, Ferrer (Last 13 G: 2-for-18) and Garcia (Last 7 G: 0-for-11) have been very effective in limiting left-handed batters.
- Hunter Harvey ranks among National League relievers in WHIP (5th, 0.93) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6th, 4.92).
- Kyle Finnegan ranks seventh in the National League with a career-high 26 saves.
LANE TRAIN
Lane Thomas ranks in the National League in doubles (T7th, 34), total bases (8th, 277), extra-base hits (T9th, 63) and hits (T11th, 159). Thomas’ 34 doubles are tied for third and his 64 extra-base hits are tied for fourth among National League outfielders… His 26 homers are tied for sixth. He leads Major League Baseball with a career-high 17 outfield assists…His 17 outfield assists rank second in Nationals history (2005-pres.) behind Alfonso Soriano (22 in 2006). With one more stolen base, he will record the sixth 20 home run – 20 stolen base season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) and the first since 2016.
BORN TO RUN
CJ Abrams’ 31 stolen bases since moving to the leadoff spot on July 7 are the most in Major League Baseball ahead of Ronald Acuña Jr. (26)…On the season, Abrams is fifth in Major League Baseball (3rd in the NL) with 42 stolen bases. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Abrams is one of eight shortstops in Major League history (done 11 times) to hit at least 15 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season…He is the second-youngest to do so behind Hanley Ramirez (17/51 in 2006; 22.282 years old) and ahead of Alex Rodriguez (42/46 in 1998; 23.063), per Elias. Abrams is 5-for-10 (.500) with three doubles, one triple, two RBI, three walks, one stolen base and two
runs scored in his last three games.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
The Nationals are 6-2 (.750) in extra innings this season, the fourth-best win percentage in Major League Baseball and the third-best in Nationals history (2005-pres) behind the 2015 Nationals (9-2, .818) and 2020 Nationals (4-1, .800). Washington is 26-20 (.565) in one-run games, the third-best winning percentage in team history behind the 2017 Nationals (30-21, .588) and 2016 Nationals (26-19, .578).
STARTING PITCHER – #74 JAKE IRVIN
Tall right-handed starter was added to Washington’s 40-man roster following the 2022 season…Has the “Best Control” in Washington’s system, perBaseball America…Joins other University of Oklahoma pitchers Cade Cavalli (2020 Draft) and Jake Bennett (2022 Draft) in the Nationals organization….Is the 25th pitcher drafted/signed and developed by the Washington Nationals to start a game for Washington (2005-pres.).
LAST START
Allowed four earned runs on three hits, walked five and struck out six in 4.2 innings of work on September 15 against Milwaukee…He took the loss in the Nationals’ 5-3 defeat.
vs. ATLANTA
Has never faced the Braves.
RECENCY BIAS
Irvin ranks 12th in the National League with a 2.93 ERA (9 ER/27.2 IP) since Aug. 19 (min 20.0 IP), a span of five starts…Over his last nine games, Irvin has pitched to a 3.60 ERA (20 ER/50.0 IP) with 45 strikeouts…He has made four quality starts in that span and allowed two runs or less in 5.0 innings or more in five of those games. Since having his turn in the rotation skipped in early June for rest, Irvin is 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA (37 ER/87.1 IP) with 75 strikeouts in 16 starts.
COUPLE OF STREAKS
Irvin has put together two of the four longest scoreless innings streaks by a Nationals player this season…He tossed 13.2 scoreless innings from May 3-14 and 11.2 scoreless innings from Aug. 12-26.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Irvin made eight starts without a decision from July 26 – September 9, despite pitching to a 3.18 ERA (16 ER/ 45.1 IP) with 39 strikeouts…It was tied for the longest active streak in Major League Baseball and was tied for the second-longest streak (9) in MLB this season…The Nationals were 6-2 in those eight starts.
THE STORY OF HIS CURVEBALL
As told to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post: “To Irvin, baseball was more about having fun than plotting a future. He learned his curveball grip by messing around in the backyard. He honed the pitch by throwing it from shortstop to first base during practice, a way of messing with his teammates.” Opposing batters are 23-for-124 (.185) with 37 strikeouts against his curveball.
FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE WIN
Earned his first Major League win on May 8 at San Francisco…Tossed 6.1 shutout innings with five strikeouts, three walks and four hits allowed…With the outing, Irvin became the first pitcher in Nationals history (2005-pres.) to finish one of his first two career starts with at least 6.0 scoreless innings
