Max Fried has strong outing against Marlins after uncharacteristically poor start to season

MIAMI (AP) — Max Fried’s start to the season has been frustrating.

The Atlanta Braves left-hander didn’t make it out of the first inning of his season debut against Philadelphia. In his second start, Fried needed 37 pitches to get out of a six-run first.

Fried bounced back strongly Friday night, tossing six innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts in an 8-1 win over the Miami Marlins. The 30-year-old left hander said he felt more like himself in the outing. He limited the Marlins to just four hits on 84 pitches.

“At this point, you kind of use anything as motivation,” Fried said. “Not performing to the standard that I hold myself to — it’s nice to go out there and have a good one and help this team win because I really put us in some holes.”

Fried was replaced by Pierce Johnson in the seventh inning of a seven-run game after giving up back-to-back hits.