Max Fried threw six shutout innings in his first start in nearly three months to help the visiting Atlanta Braves to an 8-0 win against the Chicago Cubs in the opener of their three-game series on Friday afternoon.
Fried (3-1) allowed three hits, struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter. The 29-year-old left-hander and NL All-Star last season had been sidelined since May 5 because of a strained left forearm.
Sean Murphy, Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley homered and Ronald Acuna Jr. delivered three hits for the Braves, who have won six of seven.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (4-6) allowed seven runs, all in the fourth inning, and eight hits over four innings. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter.
Cody Bellinger had two of the four hits for Chicago, which had won 11 of 13 games.
Hendricks retired the first nine hitters before the Atlanta offense erupted for six extra-base hits in the fourth inning.
Acuna singled up the middle on the first pitch before Ozzie Albies hit a 2-2 changeup over the head of Bellinger in center for a double.
Riley grounded to second with the infield back to score Acuna for a 1-0 lead. The Cubs brought the infield in with Matt Olson at the plate and Olson sliced a double down the left-field line to make it 2-0.
Murphy then slammed a two-run homer to left on the next pitch to extend the lead to 4-0. Ozuna followed with another home run to make it 5-0.
Atlanta didn’t stop there, as Orlando Arcia doubled down the left-field line with two outs and came home on a looping single to left by Michael Harris II for a 6-0 lead.
Acuna then tripled into the right-field corner to extend the lead to 7-0.
Fried retired the first 12 Cubs in order before Bellinger singled up the middle to start the fifth, but he was quickly erased on a double play.
Riley hit his 26th home run of the season in the seventh to make it 8-0.
– Field Level Media
