Look at it this way.
The way Max Fried was pitching Wednesday at Wrigley Field, the Cubs likely weren’t going to win this game anyway, even if they had better pitching themselves.
But they didn’t, and the Braves blew out the Cubs 9-2, evening up their three-game series at a win each.
Justin Steele nearly matched Fried over the first six innings, and that wasn’t easy, considering Fried retired the first 15 Cubs he faced. Steele’s only real mistake was a pitch grooved to Adam Duvall, who hit a two-run homer in the third.