ATLANTA - Max Fried is finding it easier this season to command his fastball now that he has opponents worried about his slider.
"It was big," he said. "I thought my fastball command was really good, too, for most of the night. Just being able to locate to both sides, up and down, was working really well with (the catcher) tonight. I got in a nice rhythm."
Fried pitched six-plus innings and won his sixth straight decision, Tyler Flowers hit a three-run homer and the surging Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago White Sox 10-7 on Friday night.
Freddie Freeman drove in two runs and Ozzie Albies went 4-for-5 to help the National League East Division leaders, who have won 10 of their past 12 to stay 5 1/2 games up in the standings.
Fried (15-4) faced the minimum before Eloy Jiménez reached with one out in the fifth on a slow-rolling single down the line at third. The 25-year-old left-hander allowed five hits and four runs (three earned) and matched his MLB career high with 11 strikeouts. He is tied with Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg for the NL lead in wins.
"I think it's just trying to simplify things and not overthink," Fried said. "Sometimes when you're out there alone you can overthink situations, maybe manifest something that isn't there. Trying to simplify everything and get it back down to its simplest form, execute pitches and not try to complicate it."
Fried also struck out 11 batters on June 30, 2018, against the host St. Louis Cardinals.
The Braves led 4-0 in the second. Josh Donaldson got it going with a walk and used a headfirst slide to score from second on Dansby Swanson's single. Flowers' 10th homer of 2019 landed in the first few rows of the left-field seats.
Atlanta went up 5-0 in the fourth when Albies doubled and scored on Freeman's double. The Braves led 6-1 in the sixth when Albies' infield single scored a runner from third.
Chicago starter Iván Nova (9-11) allowed eight hits and five runs (four earned) in four innings. He had posted a 0.94 ERA in seven starts since July 22, the best in the majors over that span.
Adam Engel lined an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-1 in the fifth for Chicago. The White Sox scored four runs in the seventh when Yolmer Sánchez chased Fried with an RBI single and Welington Castillo added a pinch-hit, three-run homer off Luke Jackson.
"We tried to do everything we could to minimize the damage, and they ended up tacking on a few more runs and putting together some good at-bats," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "I know we kept battling. We had some guys scoring some runs late. We pushed them into having to bring in their closer. No quit, to say the least."
Renteria was ejected after he argued with home plate umpire Brian Knight during a pitching change in the seventh. Renteria said he was upset with a pitch that Knight called a ball and loaded the bases.
Adeiny Hechavarria's pinch-hit, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh put Atlanta up 8-5. In the eighth, Freeman singled to drive in a run and scored on a fielder's choice to make it 10-5.
Anthony Swarzak gave up two runs in the ninth, prompting Braves manager Brian Snitker to bring in closer Mark Melancon. With a runner on third, Melancon struck out Tim Anderson, the only batter he faced in the game, to earn his fifth save in five chances with Atlanta.
The Braves tied a season high by moving to 28 games over .500.
Freeman began the game with the NL lead in RBIs and added two more to reach 109 and tie his single-season career high in 2013.
Braves catcher Brian McCann (left knee) will return from the injured list Sunday. Atlanta rookie Austin Riley (right knee) has six hits in his past 14 at-bats of a rehab assignment, but it's too early to give an immediate timetable for his return.
Veteran right fielder Nick Markakis (left wrist) played catch for the first time, but he still hasn't been cleared to take swings. Though Snitker said Markakis is ahead of schedule, the 2018 All-Star likely won't return until mid-September.