Pederson homers, Fried stars as Braves rout Rays
ATLANTA — Joc Pederson hit a two-run home run in his first start with his new team, and Max Fried had a two-run double among his three hits while pitching seven dominant innings as the Atlanta Braves bounced back after an extra-inning loss to rout the Tampa Bay Rays 9-0 on Saturday night.
Fried (7-5) did not allow a runner to reach second base. The 27-year-old lefthander gave up four hits and a walk while striking out seven batters. Fried’s MLB career-high three hits included the two-run double in a six-run fourth inning.
Pederson, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night, hit in the leadoff spot and started in right field, filling roles held by Ronald Acuña Jr. before his season-ending knee injury in a road win against the Miami Marlins last weekend.
Before the game, Pederson said Acuña is “probably one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. I’m not going to fill that role, but I’m going to do what I do and hopefully help this team win some games.”
He had two hits, including an infield single to a vacant third base area against the Rays’ defensive shift in the eighth.
Pederson’s homer landed in the Braves’ bullpen behind wall in right-center field. It was the highlight of Atlanta’s six-run fourth inning against Rays lefthander Josh Fleming (7-5).
The big hits by Pederson and Fried in the fourth were made possible when umpires declined to overturn a ground-rule double by Guillermo Heredia that landed near the right-field line. The Rays asked for the review to determine if the ball landed fair or foul.
Fried’s three hits lifted his batting average to .333. He had a pinch-hit single in the 10th inning for an 8-7 win over Miami on July 4.
Freddie Freeman added to the lead with his 21st homer of the year, this one off Fleming in the fifth. Fleming gave up seven runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.
With the addition of Pederson, Braves manager Brian Snitker juggled his lineup with Dansby Swanson and Freeman hitting second and third, respectively. Freeman moved down one spot in the lineup. Swanson had a run-scoring double off J.P. Feyereisen in the sixth.
Atlanta’s bullpen allowed four runs Friday night but proved more reliable Saturday. Edgar Santana and Tyler Matzek each pitched one inning without allowing a hit to finish the shutout.
One day after trading for Pederson, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos stayed active by acquiring catcher Stephen Vogt from Arizona after Friday night’s game, which the Rays won 7-6 on Atlanta-area native Austin Meadows’ RBI single in the top of the 10th.
Vogt was in uniform Saturday but did not appear in the game. Jonathan Lucroy, another catcher, was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Vogt, who will share time with Kevan Smith. Snitker said the goal is to “piece this thing together” until starter Travis d’Arnaud (torn ligaments, left thumb) returns from the injured list, possibly by mid-August. Snitker said d’Arnaud’s rehabilitation is “going well.”
Lucroy appeared in only two games with Atlanta after his recall from Triple-A Gwinnett on July 7.
The Braves’ Drew Smyly will face Tampa Bay’s Rich Hill in a matchup of veteran left-handed starters in Sunday’s finale of the three-game series.