CHICAGO — The trade deadline came and went earlier this week without Major League Baseball’s top team making much noise, but the Atlanta Braves continue to do plenty of that with their bats.
And with ace Max Fried finally back on the mound, they might have a roster addition that trumps any trade.
Fried dominated through six innings Friday afternoon in his return to the rotation from the injured list, and Atlanta’s power-packed lineup backed the 29-year-old left-hander by cooling off the Chicago Cubs in an 8-0 victory to open a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
Sean Murphy and Marcell Ozuna homered on back-to-back pitches as the Braves scored seven runs in the fourth inning, while Austin Riley connected in the seventh for the final margin and Ronald Acuña Jr. finished with three hits. Atlanta, which leads the majors with a 70-37 record, has won three straight games and six of its last seven to strengthen its position atop the National League East as its seeks a sixth straight division title.
Fried (3-1) allowed three baserunners, all on singles, in his first start in the majors since May 5, having been sidelined by a left forearm strain. A runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award last season, when he was also an MLB All-Star for the first time, he struck out eight batters Friday before exiting after 72 pitches, with 49 of those for strikes. He retired the first 12 hitters he faced with no hard contact.
“I felt sharper than expected,” said Fried, who had four rehab starts in the minors. “I had a lot of nervous energy, just looking forward to this day for a long time.”
His first pitch was a strike to 13 of the 20 batters he faced, and only two of his pitches went for fly balls in play. The three-time Gold Glove winner was backed by error-free defense.
“I really just tried to simplify it and and keep us in it as long as we can,” Fried said. “These guys have been doing so good for so long. I just want to kind of seamlessly fit in and not try to mess anything up.”
The Braves, who are 9-4 since losing four of their first five games after the All-Star break, look even more imposing after Fried’s velocity topped out at 97 mph.
“I honestly didn’t think he’d be that sharp,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said, “but that was pretty good and very impressive.”
Cody Bellinger had two of the four hits by the Cubs, who had won three straight games — they scored 41 runs in a series sweep of the Cincinnati Reds — and 13 of their last 16 games.
“Fried was pitching like an ace,” Chicago manager David Ross said. “He had real stuff, in the zone, mixing multiple pitches, kitchen sink thrown at everybody.”
Fried improved to 5-0 against the Cubs for his career. He earned his first MLB win at Wrigley Field on Sept. 3, 2017.
The Braves, who lead the majors with 209 home runs, hit back-to-back shots for the the second straight game and for the 14th time this season.
“I’ve never been part of an offense that can do that,” said Murphy, who was traded to Atlanta in December after spending the first three-plus seasons of his MLB career with the Oakland Athletics. “It feels like at any inning, any point we can explode for a whole bunch.”
In the fourth, Acuña had both a single and an RBI triple as Atlanta sent 11 hitters to the plate that inning. Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Orlando Arcia doubled in the outburst. Acuña singled to lead off, then scored on Riley’s groundout. Olson doubled in a run before scoring on Murphy’s line shot to the left-field bleachers. Ozuna followed with a 439-foot blast that reached Waveland Avenue, while Michael Harris II knocked in a run with a single, then scored on Acuña’s triple down the right-field line.
Brad Hand, acquired from the Colorado Rockies at Tuesday’s trade deadline, relieved Fried in the seventh to make his debut with the Braves and allowed a hit in one inning. Joe Jimenez struck out two batters — each on three pitches — in a perfect eighth. Collin McHugh issued a one-out walk in the ninth before getting a strikeout and a groundout to finish off the shutout victory, the Braves’ first since beating the Chicago White Sox 9-0 on July 14 in Atlanta to open the second half of the season.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks (4-6) set down the first nine Atlanta batters but was ultimately charged with seven runs and eight hits allowed in four innings. Hayden Wesneski followed with three innings of one-hit relief, and catcher Tucker Barnhart tossed a scoreless ninth.
All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson was 0-for-3 and struck out twice in his first game against the Braves, his former team, since signing a $177 million, seven-year contract with the Cubs in December. The Georgia native played his first seven MLB seasons with Atlanta.
Atlanta will start All-Star right-hander Bryce Elder (8-2, 3.18 ERA) when the series continues Saturday afternoon, while Chicago right-hander Javier Assad (1-2, 3.24) will make just his second start of the season. Assad has pitched 50 innings in 2023, mostly out of the bullpen.