Los Angeles had no answer for Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried, who flummoxed Dodgers hitters as the Braves cruised to a 7-1 victory on Saturday.
Fried, the winner, moves to 4-3. He threw 6 2/3 innings of 4-hit ball, while fanning 9 and giving up 2 walks. The second-place Braves have a record of 35-36.
Marcell Ozuna, who is a two-time All-Star, chipped in for Atlanta with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the first. For the game, the left fielder had 2 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 home run, 1 single, 1 run scored, and 2 RBI.
“I just trusted my stuff,” Fried said.
He had a really nice game, if you look at his Game Score.
Dustin May had a rough outing. Making his second start, he lasted just 3 2/3 innings and gave up six hits, thanks to 2-run homers by Ozuna and Cristian Pache.
Fried shut down the Dodgers’ bats. Outside of Justin Turner (3-for-4), only Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor recorded hits for LA. The team also racked up an ugly 2:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio on the day.
The rubber game of the series is tomorrow. Walker Buehler goes up against Mike Foltynewicz.