ATLANTA -- When the Braves pushed
“There’s almost a different look in his eyes this year,” Markakis said. “He worked well back there tonight with \\[catcher Brian McCann\\]. He was locating and had good pitch selection. It was just a fun game to watch and be a part of.”\n\nAware that Fried had not completed more than two innings since tossing five scoreless against the Nationals way back on March 19, Braves manager Brian Snitker was not going to push his young hurler beyond the sixth regardless of whether or not the no-hitter or perfect game were still attainable.\n\n“He wasn’t built up enough to throw a nine-inning no-hitter,” Snitker said. “A couple more starts, he might be.”\n\nBefore the game started, Snitker responded to a question about a fitting role by saying he thought Fried could be effective in the rotation or the bullpen. Excitement about his capabilities as a reliever grew late last season when he showed increased velocity after being moved to the bullpen.\n\nBut as Fried’s four-seamer averaged 94.4 mph and touched 97.2 mph during this outing against the Cubs, he showed he is indeed capable of producing that enhanced electricity when being used as a starter. His four-seamer had never averaged better than 93.2 mph in any of his previous nine career starts.\n\nIf Fried routinely pumps his fastball at this rate with consistent command, he has the tools to become an elite pitcher. Per Statcast, the spin rate of his curveball ranked fifth among all pitchers who used the pitch at least 150 times in 2018.\n\n“I told him he looks like a young Cole Hamels,” McCann said. “He’s got the same build and the same sort of look. The stuff is off the charts.”\n\n