“A guy that’s been absolutely dominating games that we need to win,” Atlanta reliever Tyler Matzek said of Fried. Added Atlanta Manager Brian Snitker: “He’s been really good for a long time now.”
Just like in Game 1, scoring was scarce on Saturday. Atlanta capitalized on the few mistakes by Woodruff, who had a 2.56 E.R.A. over 179 ⅓ regular-season innings. And even good pitches — a changeup down and out of the strike zone to second baseman Ozzie Albies in the third inning — were hit. “I’m a small guy so I hit low balls a lot,” said Albies, who is 5-8.
After first baseman Freddie Freeman gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the third inning with a run-scoring single, Albies made it 2-0 when he golfed the low pitch for a double. The ball hit the top of the right field fence and bounced back onto the field. Afterward, he did some push-ups.