SAN DIEGO — The second time, Max Fried’s Houdini act fell apart.
In what may be his final start for the Atlanta Braves, Fried was pulled after two innings with the Braves facing elimination.
Staked to an early lead in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, the Braves left-hander escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning — a bizarre frame in which no ball left the infield — by striking out Manny Machado and getting Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts to put the ball on the ground.
The next inning, the San Diego Padres capitalized on a second chance. First, Kyle Higashioka hit a homer to tie the score, making him the first Padres catcher with multiple home runs in a single postseason. Then came three consecutive singles, two of them on the infield. Machado did not miss again. He pounded a first-pitch double to left field, scoring two runs, and Merrill followed with a two-run triple over center fielder Michael Harris II’s head.
Five runs, all with two outs.
Fried ended the inning but was replaced by left-hander Dylan Lee in the third inning, with the Braves trailing, 5-1. Fried permitted eight hits while recording just six outs.
It may have been Fried’s final start for the Braves, the team with which he won a World Series title in 2001. Fried is a free agent this offseason. In parts of eight seasons in Atlanta, Fried went 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP, with two top-five Cy Young finishes.
This story will be updated.
(Photo of Fried: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
