What Cubs would see in the postseason? Braves pitcher Fried shuts them down
If four games against the Reds this week, the Cubs racked up 46 runs on 52 hits.
Newcomer Jeimer Candelario went 9-for-12, Nico Hoerner was 7-for-20, Cody Bellinger was 6-for-18, Dansby Swanson was 5-for-15 and Yan Gomes was 4-for-12.
Easy game, right?
Well, sure, until an ace like Max Fried takes the mound. Then you realize what type of pitchers the Cubs will be up against if they qualify for the postseason.
Fried, making his first appearance in three months, completely dominated the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday, allowing just 3 hits in 6 shutout innings. The lefty retired the first 12 hitters before Cody Bellinger led off the fifth with a single.
But no matter. Yan Gomes then hit into a double play, and Seiya Suzuki struck out looking.
"He had real stuff in the zone, mixing multiple pitches," said Cubs manager David Ross, whose team lost 8-0. "You know, the kitchen sink - throwing at everybody."
Fried, who was out with a strained left forearm, is 38-15 with a 2.60 ERA over the past three-plus seasons. He was excited to be back and join a team that has the best record in baseball at 70-37.
"I felt sharper than expected," Fried said. "A lot of nervous energy just looking forward to this day for a long time.
"These guys have been doing so good for so long, I just wanted to seamlessly fit in and not try to mess anything up."
No Cubs hitters were available afterward, so it was up to Ross to explain what makes Fried so difficult to hit.
"Well, I mean it's 94-plus from the left side and it's got real run to it," Ross said. "He's got some cut. The changeup was effective. He was able to land the breaking ball and the backfoot sliders.
"I mean he was good. It's a multi-pitch mix in the zone with stuff."
Saving the day:
After searching for a closer for three months, manager David Ross has settled on Adbert Alzolay. The 28-year-old is tied with the Brewers' Devin Williams for most saves over the past month with nine.
"I love the Tiger Woods' fist pump at the end of the saves he gets," Ross said. "Feels like he has that toughness and F-U attitude, if I can say that. He's wired the right way."
Since July 5, Alzolay has yielded just 2 runs in 11.1 innings for a 1.59 ERA. He's allowed 8 hits, walked one and struck out 14. Opponents are hitting just .195 off him over that time.
Around the horn:
Javier Assad (1-2, 3.24 ERA in 50 IP) will start for the Cubs against the Braves on Saturday. ... The Cubs are 10-17 vs. the Braves since 2018 after going 15-5 against them from 2015-17. Also, the Braves improved to 14-2 vs. the NL Central this season. ... Atlanta's Sean Murphy ranks second among catchers with 18 homers. His 2-run HR in the fourth inning Friday gave the Braves a 4-0 lead. ...
Stats Perform noted the Cubs' 150 runs in the first 20 games after the all-star break is second most all-time, trailing only the California Angels, who scored 161 runs in 1995. (The All-Star Game was first played in 1933). ... Through Thursday, the Cubs' .305 team average since the all-star break was 30 points better than the second-place Dodgers.