Max Fried got shelled for the second straight outing on Wednesday. Now he is offering a hint as to what his role might be for the rest of the World Series.
The Atlanta Braves righty took the loss in Game 2, giving up six earned runs on seven hits in five innings against the Houston Astros. Fried was especially bad in the second inning, allowing four runs to score.
After the game, Fried hinted to reporters that he might pitch on short rest in Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday.
“We’ll see how I feel over the next couple of days, but I’m not against it,” said Fried, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
The Braves rotation is suddenly thin after fellow starter Charlie Morton was knocked out in Game 1 with a broken leg. Fried is not inspiring too much confidence either after he also got knocked around in his last NLCS start. Some even questioned whether Fried was tipping his pitches.
The World Series is now tied 1-1 and will shift to Atlanta for the next three games. Fried, who was the Braves’ ace for much of the year, might benefit from starting in front of his home crowd in Game 5 instead of on the road in Game 6. But Fried’s next appearance will likely be his last of the season, giving Braves manager Brian Snitker a lot to think about moving forward.
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