Fried shines as Braves complete 3-game sweep of Cubs, 9-4
ATLANTA — Max Fried took a perfect game into the sixth inning, Nick Markakis drive in five runs with five hits and the Atlanta Braves beat Yu Darvish and the Chicago Cubs 9-4 last Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep to open their season at home.
The Cubs have lost five straight and are 1-5 for the first time since 2012, when they lost 101 games.
Fried (1-0) made a strong bid to keep a spot in Atlanta’s rotation after Kevin Gausman and Mike Foltynewicz come off the injured list. Gausman is expected to make his debut on Friday night, and Foltynewicz, the 2018 All-Star, could return in about 10 days.
Making only his 10th career start and his first this season after two scoreless relief appearances, the 25-year-old Fried recorded 17 straight outs to open the game. Mark Zagunis singled up the middle with two outs in the sixth to become Chicago’s first baserunner.
Fried, a left-hander, allowed one hit with no walks and five strikeouts in six innings. The Braves led 9-0 before the Cubs scored four runs in the ninth. Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer and Javier Baez followed with another homer off Chad Sobotka.
A.J. Minter, making his 2019 debut after coming off the injured list, walked two batters to load the bases. Zagunis drove in a run with a groundout and Minter struck out Albert Almora Jr. to end the game.
The three-run double by Markakis was the big hit in Atlanta’s five-run fifth inning that knocked Darvish (0-1) out of the game. Markakis matched his career high with three doubles and five hits.
It was a troubling series for the Cubs, who committed six errors in an 8-0 loss on Monday night and walked five batters in the eighth inning of a 6-4 loss on Wednesday night.
Darvish gave up three runs on five hits and four walks, one intentional, in fourplus innings. He has issued
11 walks in a combined 6 2/3 innings in two starts, including a career-high seven walks in only 2 2/3 innings of his first start at Texas on Saturday.
Darvish was removed after giving up a leadoff double to Ender Inciarte and a walk to Josh Donaldson in the fifth. Righthander Carl Edwards Jr. gave up two walks and threw a wild pitch that allowed Inciarte to score from third. Tyler Chatwood, allowed the three-run double to Markakis and a runscoring single to Dansby Swanson.
Light rain began in the second inning and continued most of the game.
The Braves had Miami for the weekend at press time, and then were set to start the week in Denver and take on the Colorado Rockies, followed by a trip back home to host the New York Mets.