This one could not have worked out any better. Max Fried pitched a complete game shutout to lead the 4-0 victory. The Braves scored all of their runs in the 5th inning on a two out rbi single by Ronald Acuña, Jr., followed by a massive three run shot by Matt Olson.

By going the distance Mighty Max gave the well-worn bullpen some much needed rest. Most importantly, Varsity’s complete game prevented another late inning bullpen meltdown and blown lead. True, this CG shutout came in a five inning game that was halted by rain, but a win is a win. Actually, some wins are bigger than others. After the demoralizing loss to the Fish on Thursday, beating the Mets, who are clearly the Braves’ chief rivals in the NL East, was especially sweet.

As ububba presciently noted in the game thread before the game started, “I’m guessing that they’ll do everything they can do get tonight’s game in.” It turns out “they” did exactly what they needed to do. The conditions were pretty miserable and getting worse through the first four scoreless innings. Puddles were appearing in the infield dirt, and unforms, bats, and balls were soaked. But the Braves offense did their part with the four run fifth, and Fried worked a quick and scoreless bottom of the inning. At that point the umps quickly stopped play and called for the tarp. Once play was halted, the forecast made it pretty obvious that there would be no more baseball this night. After an hour and a half, they made it official and called it a game.

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Let us now praise Max Fried. Since the beginning of 2020, Fried has the best ERA in MLB: 2.60. For his career, he has the best winning percentage of any active pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw. I learned these facts from the Braves TV broadcast, and who am I to question them? I do know for sure that in three starts since returning from the IL with the hamstring strain, Varsity Fried has given up zero runs. His ERA for 2023 stands at 0.45.

Man, Fried is a joy to watch. Max has five pitches that he uses regularly, and he commands each one. When he first came up, he relied mainly on a four seam fastball and the slow 12-6 curve. He still throws both of those effectively, but he now tosses a wicked slider more often than the curve. He mixes in a two seamer along with the four seamer and he has a very effective changeup that he uses against righty hitters. Best of all, he keeps batters off stride and limits hard contact. Anthopoulos is not in the habit of asking my advice, but if he calls I’m advising him to sign Max to an extension. Get it done, Alex.

Truth is, I’m a big fan of the rotation as a whole. Rob Neyer used to call Greg Maddux the world’s smartest pitcher, and rightly so. Each of the Braves current top four–Fried, Strider, Morton, and Wright–demonstrate an excellent grasp of what it takes to succeed and to improve. When Mike Soroka joins them (I hope very soon!) he will only add to that collective intelligence.

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Today is the birthday of Chuck Leavell, keyboardist of the Allman Brothers (taking them in new directions after Duane died) and for the last 30 years keyboardist and musical director for the Rolling Stones. I highly recommend the documentary “The Tree Man” about his musical career and his tree farming in my part of the world.

Saturday 4/29 is Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday. What can I say about this national treasure? A lot, but I won’t in this space. Instead, I’ll recommend the podcast “One By Willie,” in which various artists discuss one Willie song and why that song–and Willie–mean so much to them.

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Saturday at 4:00 is supposed to be Spencer Strider vs. Tylor (sic) Megill (sic). I really like this matchup, but unfortunately the forecast is making the game doubtful. Maybe they can squeeze in another five innings. If so, I predict at least 10 more strikeouts for Aragorn.