ATLANTA BRAVES (88-73, 0-1 in postseason) at MILWAUKEE BREWERS (95-67, 1-0 in postseason)
LH Max Fried (14-7, 3.04) vs. RH Brandon Woodruff (9-10, 2.56)
ATLANTA BRAVES
TODAY’S GAME: The Braves and Brewers continue their best-of-five National League Division Series today with Game 2 here in Milwaukee…The Brewers took a 1-0 series lead after winning, 2-1, yesterday. • The clubs split six games during the regular season, with each team taking the series in the other team’s park. • The Braves won two-of-three games here at American Family Field, May 14-16, before the Brewers won two-of-three, July 30-August 1 in Atlanta…The Braves outscored the Brewers, 34-26, in the six games.
• The Braves have not won the season series with Milwaukee since 2017, when they went 4-2 against the Brewers…They went 3-4 in 2018 and 3-3 in 2019. • The Braves and Brewers have never met in the postseason…The last time the Braves played a playoff game in Milwaukee was 1958, when the organization was the Milwaukee Braves and lost Game 7 of the World Series at home to the New York Yankees…Overall, the Braves franchise is 4-3 in Milwaukee during the postseason…They went 2-1 at home to win the 1957 World Series in seven games over the Yankees, before going 2-2 in losing the rematch the next season. • LHP Max Fried is 0-1 with a 3.90 ERA (13 ER/30.0 IP) in 12 career postseason games, four starts…Fried made all four of his postseason starts last season, compiling a 3.04 ERA (8 ER/23.2 IP) and taking his lone loss…The 27-year-old lefty is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP) in three career games, all starts, against the Brewers. • RHP Brandon Woodruff is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA (7 ER/21.0 IP) in six career postseason games, three starts…The 28-year-old lefty lost his lone playoff start last season, allowing three runs, earned, over 4.2 innings to Los Angeles…Woodruff is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA (6 ER/20.0 IP) in three career games, all starts, against Atlanta.
ONE-RUN GAME: The Braves lost yesterday’s series opener, 2-1. • The Braves played 57 one-run games in the regular season, the second most in the majors…Only New York (NL) played more. • The Braves went 26-31 (.456) in these games, with the 31 losses tied for the second most in baseball… Only the Mets lost more (35)…The Diamondbacks also had 31 one-run losses. • The Braves’ final 13 losses in the regular season were all by either one or two runs…The club’s previous loss by three or more runs was a 5-0 defeat to San Francisco on August 28. • From 2018-2020, the Braves went 62-34 (.646) in one-run games, the best mark in the majors.
GAME 2: The Braves are set to play their 39th Game 2 of a playoff round today and they are 28-10 (.737) in these games…They have won 12 of their last 13 such games, including all three Game 2s in last season’s playoffs. • Overall, the Braves are 12-7 (.632) in Game 2 when dropping Game 1. • The Braves are 1-9 in series that they drop Game 2…Their only victory came in the 1996 LCS, when they lost to St. Louis and rebounded to win the series in seven games.
GAME 1 LOSS: The Braves have lost 17 of 20 (.150) playoff series in which they drop the opener • They last won a series when dropping Game 1 in 1999, when they lost, 6-1, vs. Houston in the NLDS before going on to win
FRIED: LHP Max Fried won his last seven decision in the regular season, compiling a 1.46 ERA (12 ER/74.0 IP) over the 11-start stretch…The Braves went 10-1 in this stretch. • Six of Fried’s 14 wins came following a Braves loss, including a three-hitter to shut out San Diego on September 24 at Petco Park. • His 38 wins over the past three 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 2018…Cole has 43 wins.
ON THE ROAD: The Braves went 46-35 (.568) away from Truist Park this season, tied for the fifth-best road record in the majors…Since 2018 and the start of this four-season playoff run, the Braves are the second-best road team in the majors with a mark of 156-117 (.571)… Only Los Angeles (NL) at .601 has been better over the last four seasons. • The Braves won a franchise-record 13-straight road games, July 29-August 22, that included sweeping a nine-game road trip through Washington (three games), Miami (three games) and Baltimore (three games), August 13-August 22.
RARE LOSS: The Braves lost, 2-1, yesterday, to fall to 56-11 (.836) in the postseason when allowing two runs or less. • This season, the Braves went 49-8 (.860) in such games, although one of the losses was to Milwaukee on August 1.
SWANSON: SS Dansby Swanson singled yesterday for one of the Braves’ four hits. • Swanson is hitting .303 (20-for-66) with a .902 OPS in 18 career postseason games…He has hit safely in 13 of his 18 playoff games.
Tonight’s Starting Pitcher GarcÃa’s Game Log Wisler’s Game Log
#54 Max Fried
LHP • 6-4 • 190 • 27 yrs
2021 Record: 14-7, 3.04 ERA • 2020 Record: 7-0, 2.25 ERA
vs. RHB: .224 (103-460), 10 HR • vs. LHB: .237 (36-152), 5 HR
Tonight’s Game
• Set to make the fifth career start and 13th career appearance in the postseason… Made eight combined appearances out of the bullpen in 2018 & 2019, before making four starts last season.
• Is 0-1 with a 3.90 ERA (13 ER/30.0 IP) in his playoff career, allowing opponents to bat .254 and striking out 30.
• In four postseason starts last season, went 0-1 with a 3.04 ERA (8 ER/23.2 IP) while Atlanta went 3-1 in his starts.
• Has never started Game 2 of a playoff series, and has pitched in a pair of Game 2s in relief in the 2018 and 2019 NLDS…Allowed one hit and struck out two in 1.1 combined innings.
• Three of his four starts have come in Game 1 (2020 WC, NLDS and NLCS), and he’s made one start in Game 6 (2020 NLCS).
• Has made three career starts against Milwaukee and is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP) in his career versus the Brewers…Has not faced Milwaukee since 2019.
• Last faced the Brewers with a pair of starts in 2019 and combined to pitch 11.0 scoreless innings with just five hits and four walks, fanning two…Went 2-0 as Atlanta outscored Milwaukee, 16-10.
• In his last start here at American Family Field, July 15, 2019, pitched 5.0 scoreless innings with three hits and two walks, fanning five.
• Was named NL Pitcher of the Month for September after going 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA (7 ER/41.0 IP) across six starts…It was the first monthly award of his career, and he was Atlanta’s first recipient since Kris Medlen in September of 2013.
• He fashioned a 17.0-inning scoreless streak during the month, the longest such run of his career, while Atlanta went 5-1 in his six starts.
• Ended the season with 12 consecutive quality starts, the longest such run in baseball this season…The Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff and the Dodgers’ Walker Buehler each had 10-game runs, the only other pitchers in the majors with a double-digit streak this season.
• His run is the longest by a Braves starter since 2011, when Tim Hudson made 12 straight quality starts from June 20 to August 21…No Braves pitcher has made 13 straight quality starts since Greg Maddux had a 19-game run in 1998.
• His 38 wins over the past three 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 2018…Cole has 43 wins.
2021 Recap
• Completed his third full major league season and went 14-7 with a 3.04 ERA (56 ER/165.2 IP) in 28 games, all starts.
• NL Ranks: Shutouts (T1st, 2), Complete Games (T4th, 2), Wins (T5th, 14), ERA (9th, 3.04), Winning Percentage (T9th, .667).
• Combined to allow 23 hits and 14 earned runs in just 11. 0 innings over his first three starts of the season, going 0-1…Fried was placed on the Injured List with a right hamstring strain on April 14 and missed the next 18 games.
• Following his return, Fried went 14-6 and pitched to a 2.44 ERA (42 ER/154.2 IP)…From May 5 through the end of the season, Fried’s 2.44 ERA was third best in the majors.
• Pitched a pair of shutouts, first on August 20 at Baltimore, and again on September 24 at San Diego…The outings were the first two shutouts of his career. • Fried became the first Atlanta starter with two shutouts in a single season since Shelby Miller pitched two in 2015, and the first Braves left-hander with two since Tom Glavine in 2000.
• Fried blanked the Orioles on just 90 pitches, and shut out the Padres on 98… Since 2000, just Greg Maddux (2000), Miller (‘15) and Fried have two shutouts on fewer than 100 pitches for the Braves in a single season.
• Came off the bench and drove a 3-1 pitch into center field to plate the winning run, July 4, giving Atlanta its fifth walk-off win of the season and second of the homestand.
• Since RBI became an official statistic in 1920, no Braves pinch hitter who was primarily a pitcher has had a walk-off RBI…Research courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.
• Fried batted .273/.322/.327 on the season, and his 15 hits led all pitchers in baseball.
• Missed 11 games on the IL with a blister on his left index finger, 6/19-30.
• Was his second stint on the IL this season after also missing time from 4/14 to 5/5 with a right hamstring strain.
• Was his third career stint on the IL with a blister on his pitching hand…Also missed time in both 2018 and 2019.
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.
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
TODAY’S GAME: Is Game 2 (1-0) of the National League Division Series vs. Atlanta…..the Brewers and Braves are meeting in the postseason for the first time ever. NLDS Roster (bold indicates not on Opening Day roster):
PITCHERS (11) – LH Aaron Ashby, RH Brad Boxberger, RH Corbin Burnes, RH Jake Cousins, RH Jandel Gustave, LH Josh Hader, RH Adrian Houser, LH Eric Lauer, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Hunter Strickland, RH Brandon Woodruff
CATCHERS (3) – Luke Maile, Omar Narváez, Manny Piña
INFIELDERS (7) – Willy Adames, Eduardo Escobar, Jace Peterson, Rowdy Tellez, Luis UrÃas, Daniel Vogelbach, Kolten Wong…..OUTFIELDERS (5) – Jackie Bradley Jr., Lorenzo Cain, AvisaÃl GarcÃa, Tyrone Taylor, Christian Yelich
OPENING DAY ROSTER (bold indicates not on NLDS roster):
PITCHERS (12) – LH Brett Anderson, RH Corbin Burnes, RH J.P. Feyereisen, LH Josh Hader, RH Adrian Houser, RH Josh Lindblom, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Drew Rasmussen, LH Brent Suter, RH Devin Williams, RH Brandon Woodruff, RH Eric Yardley
CATCHERS (2) – Omar Narváez, Manny Piña
INFIELDERS (7) – Orlando Arcia, Keston Hiura, Daniel Robertson, Travis Shaw, Luis UrÃas, Daniel Vogelbach, Kolten Wong…..OUTFIELDERS (5) – Jackie Bradley Jr., Lorenzo Cain, AvisaÃl GarcÃa, Billy McKinney, Christian Yelich
IN THE TRAINER’S ROOM: RHP John Axford (right elbow), RHP John Curtiss (right elbow), INF/OF Mark Mathias (right shoulder), LHP Angel Perdomo (back) and RHP Justin Topa (right elbow) are on the 60-day injured list.
IN THE STANDINGS (186 days): The Brewers spent the following number of days alone or tied at each position in the NL Central standings in 2021: FIRST: 136, SECOND: 26, THIRD: 20, FOURTH: 4, FIFTH: 0…..the team clinched a postseason berth on 9/18 and the NL Central championship on 9/26.
SERIES-LY SPEAKING: The Brewers went 32-17-3 in series play in 2021. Game 1: 27-25, Game 2: 32-20, Game 3: 32-16, Game 4: 4-6 Sweep Wins (11): at San Diego (3g, 4/19-4/21), at Washington (3g, 5/29-5/30), vs. Arizona (4g, 6/3-6/6), vs. Pittsburgh (3g, 6/11-6/13), vs. Colorado (3g, 6/25-6/27), vs. Chicago-NL (3g, 6/28-6/30), at Cincinnati (3g, 7/16-7/18), at Pittsburgh (3g, 7/27-7/29), at Chicago-NL (4g, 8/10-8/12), at Cleveland (3g, 9/10-9/12), vs. New York-NL (3g, 9/24-9/26) Sweep Losses (7): at Philadelphia (4g, 5/3-5/6), at Kansas City (2g, 5/18-5/19), vs. Cincinnati (3g, 6/14-6/16), vs. Kansas City (2g, 7/20-7/21), at Detroit (2g, 9/14-9/15), vs. St. Louis (4g, 9/20-9/23), at Los Angeles-NL (10/1-10/3)
AT HOME: The Brewers went 45-36 at home, going 14-10-2 in series play…..had season-high 7-game home winning streaks from 6/3-6/13 and 6/25-7/8…..had season-high 5-game home losing streaks from 7/9-7/21 and 9/19-9/23.
ON THE ROAD: The Brewers went 50-31 on the road, going 18-7-1 in series play…..had a season-high 8-game road winning streak from 7/7-7/30…..had a season-high 5-game road losing streak from 5/3-5/7…..their 50 road wins broke the franchise record set by the 1982 team (47-33).
ALL-STARS: The Brewers were represented at the All-Star Game by Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff and Omar Narváez…..the five players selected tied a franchise record, all consecutively (also 2018 and 2019)…..it marked the first time in franchise history that the team had three or more pitchers selected.
MANAGER: Craig Counsell completed his seventh season as manager (529-479) and sixth full season…..only Phil Garner (563-617) has more wins as a manager in franchise history…..under Counsell, the Brewers have made the postseason in four consecutive years for the first time ever…..Counsell was named the 19th manager in franchise history on 5/4/15, replacing Ron Roenicke…..he is signed through 2023.
COACHES: Assistant hitting coach Jacob Cruz (2nd season), hitting coach Andy Haines (3rd season), pitching coach Chris Hook (3rd season), bullpen coach Steve Karsay (3rd season), third base coach Jason Lane (6th season, 1st as 3B coach), associate pitching, catching and strategy coach Walker McKinven (2nd season) and bench coach Pat Murphy (6th season) all returned from the 2020 coaching staff…..first base coach Quintin Berry was new to the staff this season.
GAME 2 STARTER: #53 – RHP BRANDON WOODRUFF (30gs, 9-10, 2.56)
WOODRUFF AT A GLANCE: NL Cy Young Award candidate Brandon Woodruff, 28, went 9-10 with a 2.56 ERA in 30 starts this season…..he ranked among the NL leaders in batting average (3rd, .260), WHIP (3rd, 0.96), H/9IP (3rd, 6.52), ERA (4th, 2.56), quality starts (T4th, 20), K/9IP (6th, 10.59), K/BB (6th, 4.91), BB/9IP (6th, 2.16), HR/9IP (7th, 0.90) and strikeouts (8th, 211)…..the team went 16-14 in his starts…..opponents batted .200 (130-for-650, 18hr)…..he had 211 strikeouts – fourth in franchise history for a single season – compared to just 43 walks in 179.1 innings…..he was the first Brewers pitcher to start on Opening Day in consecutive seasons since Yovani Gallardo started a franchise-record five in a row from 2010-14…..he was NL Player of the Week for 5/24-5/30…..Woodruff was selected in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of Mississippi State University.
POSTSEASON CAREER: Is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 6 games / 3 starts (21ip, 14h, 7r, 7er, 3bb, 32k, 1hr)…..Woodruff started Game 2 of the 2020 NL Wild Card Series against the Dodgers, taking a 3-0 loss (4.2ip, 5h, 3r, 3er, 0bb, 9k)…..his other postseason experience came in 2018 (NLDS and NLCS) and 2019 (NL Wild Card Game).
CAREER: Is 28-21 with a 3.23 ERA in 92 games / 77 starts (460ip, 165er)…..is in his fifth Major League season, all with the Brewers (2017-21)…..was a 2019 and 2021 All-Star.
CAREER AT AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD: Is 15-8 with a 3.27 ERA in 47 games / 40 starts (239.1ip, 87er)…..went 4-3 with a 2.31 ERA in 14 starts this season (85.2ip, 22er).
CAREER ON THE ROAD: Is 13-13 with a 3.18 ERA in 45 games / 37 starts (220.2ip, 78er)…..went 5-7 with a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts this season (93.2ip, 29er).
CAREER vs. BRAVES: Is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 3 starts (20ip, 18h, 6r, 6er, 3bb, 19k, 4hr), including an 8-1 loss on 7/31 at Truist Park (5.1ip, 8h, 3r, 3er, 1bb, 6k, 1hr, 1hbp).
CAREER AT THE PLATE: Is a .191 (22-for-115) hitter with 1 HR and 7 RBI…..has 6 walks and 51 strikeouts…..has 8 sacrifice bunts…..homered on 7/13/18 at Pittsburgh (solo off Nick Kingham)…..also homered in the postseason with a solo shot off Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS vs. Los Angeles at American Family Field.
2021 AT THE PLATE: Hit .115 (6-for-52) with 2 RBI…..had 3 walks and 28 strikeouts…..had 3 sacrifice bunts.
