Fried trying to speed up 'learning curve' after long absence

ATLANTA -- Max Fried has made a combined eight starts at the Minor League and Major League levels since a strained left forearm prevented him from throwing a competitive pitch for two full months.

So in terms of preparation and workload, Fried is essentially where he might be in the middle of April. But after allowing a pair of homers in a 4-3 loss to the Giants on Sunday at Truist Park, the Braves left-hander pointed out he still has some catching up to do.

“I’m going up against guys who have been doing this for five months,” Fried said. “They have been seeing really good live pitching for a long time. Guys are really sharp. I just know that my learning curve has to be a little quicker.”

Fried battled inconsistent command as he allowed three runs in the first three innings of Sunday’s loss. Ronald Acuña Jr. tied the game when his attempt to steal third base drew an errant throw from Giants catcher Patrick Bailey in the eighth. But Kirby Yates allowed the Giants to reclaim the lead without recording a hit in the ninth.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Fried’s frustration
Fried finished second in last year’s National League Cy Young Award balloting and was hoping to take his game to another level this season. But he strained his left hamstring on Opening Day and then began a three-month injured list stint when he was diagnosed with a strained left forearm after his start on May 5.

So Fried really hasn’t had a chance to get on a roll. He has posted a 3.74 ERA while totaling 21 2/3 innings in four starts since returning from the injured list. Most of his damage occurred during a four-run fourth inning in Pittsburgh.

Fried entered Sunday having allowed just two extra-base hits since being activated on Aug. 4. But he allowed a leadoff homer to Luis Matos in the second and then elevated a slider that Wilmer Flores drilled for a two-run homer in the third. The fastball to Matos was supposed to be on the inside edge, but it came across the inner third.

“I find myself at times not all that sharp,” Fried said. “I’m not executing pitches that I want to in good spots.”

Fried has plenty of time to find the consistency that he has lacked during his first few weeks back from a long absence. He can also reflect on last season, when he was great throughout the regular season, came down with a virus during the final week and then headed into the playoffs 15 pounds lighter.

Whatever frustration he is currently feeling will be long forgotten if he enters October feeling strong both physically and mentally.

Rough day
Yates entered the day having not allowed a run over his past 10 appearances. If there was anything to knock during this span, it would have been that he walked 19.4% (7 of 36) of the batters he faced. But nobody anticipated what occurred Sunday, especially after he needed just 11 pitches to complete a perfect eighth inning in Saturday’s win.

Given a one-run lead, Yates entered in the ninth and walked Michael Conforto on eight pitches. He then came too far inside with a fastball to Thairo Estrada and lost his grip on a splitter that struck Flores, hitting two batters within a span of two pitches. That matched the season total he carried into this contest over 48 innings.

Yates responded with two quick strikeouts. But just when it looked like he might escape unscathed, Joc Pederson came off the bench to draw a game-winning four-pitch walk.

“Sometimes during the course of the year, I’ve felt like I’ve kind of lost it and then found it,” Yates said. “Today, I felt like I found it and then lost it. I don’t really have an explanation. It sucks.”

9 with 15?
Orlando Arcia’s two-run homer in the second inning was his 14th home run of the season. The Braves currently have seven players with 15 or more homers. Arcia and Michael Harris II, who has hit 11 home runs, and possibly Travis d’Arnaud, who has nine, could join this group.

No team has ever had more than nine players with 15-plus homers. The most recent teams to have nine were the 2019 Twins, 2019 Blue Jays and 2019 Nationals.