The Atlanta Braves picked up a veteran outfielder and a hard-fought win on Wednesday, climbing back to the .500 mark for the (very) young season. On Thursday, Brian Snitker and company will aim to pick up a second straight victory and, for the second time this season, Max Fried will take the ball for Atlanta.
The 26-year-old left-hander was solid in his first outing against the New York Mets, navigating five innings and only allowing two runs on two hits and two walks. In conjunction with Mike Soroka, who was strong again on Wednesday, Fried provides safety that much of Atlanta’s rotation does not and, in this match-up, he will face a quality team in Tampa Bay.