Braves, Max Fried dominate Royals in race for playoffs

ATLANTA — Max Fried looked like a man who had no desire to end his season, and possibly his successful tenure with the Braves.

Fried was a man on a mission as he finished an out shy of a shutout and helped the Braves strengthen their postseason hopes during a 3-0 win over the Royals on Friday night at Truist Park. Sean Murphy’s two-run homer in the fourth provided all of the necessary support.

Whether this was Fried’s final game before hitting free agency will be determined over the next three days. The Braves moved a half-game behind both the Mets and D-backs in the race for the National League’s final two Wild Card spots. Another half-game will be gained or lost based on the results of the Mets-Brewers and Padres-D-backs games on Friday.

Fried was bidding for his second shutout of the year before walking Bobby Witt Jr. and surrendering a double to Michael Massey with two outs in the ninth. Raisel Iglesias entered and preserved the team’s shutout by retiring Salvador Perez on the first pitch he threw.

The only hits Fried surrendered before the ninth were Massey’s sixth-inning double and Witt’s infield single in the fourth. Witt got down the line at 31.5 ft./sec., which is tied for the fastest sprint speed (Elly De La Cruz) recorded at Truist Park this season.