Max Fried had a fantastic game, striking out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings. Ozzie Albies hit a three-run homer that gave the Atlanta Braves the lead, and they went on to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-3 on Tuesday night.
Orlando Arcia also contributed with a solo home run in the seventh inning for the Braves. This win made it three in a row for Atlanta against Boston this season.
Fried, who now has a record of 6-2 for the season, allowed three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits. He has now pitched for seven innings or more in six out of his last eight starts.
“I felt like I had a really good feel for the slider and my curveball was probably the best that it’s been all year,” Fried said. “I just was relying on really those two pitches and just making some adjustments. It’s not normally my thing but I’ll definitely take it.”
This performance by Fried surpassed his previous best of 11 strikeouts, achieved twice before, with the most recent being on Sept. 30, 2019 against the Chicago White Sox.
“That curveball was really, really good tonight,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Fried started strong, striking out the side in the first inning and not allowing a hit until Dominic Smith hit a home run in the third, bringing Boston within 2-1. Two errors by first baseman Smith in the first inning gave Atlanta an early advantage.
After the game was tied at 3-all in the fifth inning, the Braves took control in the sixth when Albies hit his homer against Kutter Crawford. Albies’ home run came after Austin Riley walked and Marcell Ozuna reached base with an infield single.
Albies hit a 1-0 fastball to right center, prompting cheers from the large number of Atlanta fans present at Fenway Park.
“I think we continue to show signs that we’re coming and getting the offense going up and down the lineup,” Snitker said.
Chase Anderson replaced Crawford in the seventh inning but was quickly met with another home run, this time by Arcia, extending Atlanta’s lead to 7-3 with his sixth homer of the season.
