Atlanta Braves Clippings Friday, September 25, 2020 Braves.com What to watch for in the Braves' final series By Mark Bowman ATLANTA -- Now that the regular season’s final weekend has arrived, it’s time to look at exactly what the Braves could still accomplish before making their third consecutive postseason appearance. With a 4-2 loss to the Marlins on Thursday night at Truist Park, the Braves’ magic number for clinching the National League’s No. 2 postseason seed remained at one. If they secure this spot, they would play the No. 7 seed, which means they likely won’t know their opponent until the still crowded NL playoff race ends on Sunday or Monday (if the Cardinals need to make up at least one game). One thing the Braves know is they will play the entirety of next week’s Wild Card Series in Atlanta. That has proven to be a good thing, as the team has spent the past couple months constructing an 18-9 home record, which ties them with the Dodgers for the NL’s best mark. Here are a few other things to keep an eye on: Get the kids ready Thursday began in encouraging fashion when Braves manager Brian Snitker announced Max Fried’s sore left ankle will not prevent him from starting Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. The day got even better as Ian Anderson held the Marlins scoreless through the first five innings, but he encountered some bad luck while allowing three unearned runs in the sixth. Now, the Braves will hope Kyle Wright also impresses as he makes his final regular-season start against the Red Sox on Friday. Wright has started to show his promise by providing at least six strong innings in each of his past two starts. Anderson has pitched into the sixth inning in four of his first six career starts. Anderson’s bid to get through the sixth of Thursday’s start was blemished after a broken bat distracted third baseman Adeiny Hechavarría while he tried to catch Brian Anderson’s soft liner to begin the inning. Garrett Cooper followed with a single that had just a 66.8 mph exit velocity. After striking out the next two batters, Anderson ended his night by allowing a Chad Wallach single and a Jon Berti double to make the score 3-0. This wasn’t the ending the 22-year-old wanted, but having produced a 1.95 ERA this season, he has created confidence about what he might do when he likely makes his postseason debut in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. MVP race Freddie Freeman was hurt by a late-season slump in 2018, and his elbow frustrated him over the final month of a great ‘19 season. But the Braves’ first baseman is heading into the final weekend surging. He entered Thursday leading the NL with a 1.246 OPS in September. Freeman also entered the day leading the NL with a 3.1 fWAR (Fangraphs’ WAR Model) and ranking second with 185 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+). After going 0-for-3 in this series finale against the Marlins, he owned a 1.084 OPS, which ranks second in the Majors. The Braves haven’t had an NL MVP Award winner since Chipper Jones captured the trophy in 1999. Speaking of the Joneses The Braves also haven’t had a home run champion since Andruw Jones hit a franchise-record 51 in 2005. Marcell Ozuna would like to change that. His NL-leading 17 homers equate to a 48-homer pace over a 162-game season. Eddie Mathews (1959) and Wally Berger (1930) share the franchise record for the most home runs (22) hit through the team’s first 60 games. Ozuna might not reach that mark. But with a good weekend, he could join Andres Galarraga (21 in 1998), Hank Aaron (20 in 1966) and Ryan Klesko (20 in 1996) as the only players of the Atlanta Era to hit at least 20 homers within the same span. Team HR marks With 99 home runs through their first 57 games, the Braves need to hit just one more to match their total in 2015’s 162-game season; this year’s pace would equate to 281 home runs over that same stretch. Last year’s club hit a franchise record 249 homers. The 2019 team also set a monthly franchise record by hitting 56 home runs in June. The Braves need just five more homers over the final three games to match this record. Snitker: Fried will be ready for Game 1 of WC By Mark Bowman ATLANTA -- Braves manager Brian Snitker expects Max Fried to be ready to start Game 1 of next week’s National League Wild Card Series. “I think everybody thinks that is a realistic possibility,” Snitker said. Fried’s availability became uncertain when he turned his left ankle and exited after the first inning of Wednesday night’s win over the Marlins. But the Braves were encouraged by the evaluations that were performed after the game, and when the lefty returned to Truist Park on Thursday. “He’s moving around OK,” Snitker said. “He’s a little sore. But all the tests were negative and he’ll just continue to get treatment and take it day-to- day. I think with everything they have going on in that training room, he’ll be good to go.” Fried established himself as an NL Cy Young Award candidate this year, but these past few weeks have been rough. Lower back spasms forced him to spend two weeks on the injured list this month. He was activated Friday, with the thought he’d have time to make two starts before the postseason began. But if Fried does start Game 1 on Wednesday, he will do so having totaled just six innings dating back to Sept. 5, when his back began to bother him. His 22-pitch outing on Wednesday night was tarnished by the back-to-back solo homers he surrendered to Jesús Aguilar and Brian Anderson. He had faced 220 batters this year without allowing a home run before Aguilar hit his solo shot. “He’ll be fine,” Snitker said. “It is what it is. There’s nothing wrong with his arm. It’s just one of those situations we’re going to have to play around with.” MLB, Braves unveil 2021 All-Star Game logo By Mark Bowman ATLANTA -- Hank Aaron added to the excitement about what next summer will bring when he appeared on Thursday night's FOX Sports South broadcast and said, “I can’t wait for the 2021 All-Star Game here in Atlanta. Here we go.” Just before the start of Thursday’s game against the Marlins, Aaron helped the Braves and MLB unveil the 2021 All-Star logo. The iconic Hall of Famer has stood as one of Atlanta’s greatest ambassadors since being part of the city’s first Braves team in 1966. “Major League Baseball is eager for the return of the All-Star Game and for the opportunity to put one of the game’s great new ballparks on a worldwide stage,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Tonight marks the start of an exciting journey for the Braves’ organization and its fans as our sport prepares for a thrilling postseason and for a successful All-Star Week next summer.” The Midsummer Classic will be played at Truist Park on July 13, 2021. It marks the third time Atlanta has hosted this jewel event. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium hosted the 1972 All-Star Game, which was highlighted by a home run by Aaron. Chipper Jones experienced the same thrill when he homered in front of the hometown fans when the 2000 ASG was held at Turner Field. In addition, MLB announced that the 2021 Draft will be held in Atlanta during All-Star Week for the first time. The 2021 MLB Draft will be planned for July 11-13, and for the first time since the inception of the Draft in 1965, the event will be scheduled outside the month of June. The Draft will feature a minimum of 20 rounds across the three days, beginning with the opening night of the Draft on Sunday, July 11, following the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, part of All-Star Sunday at Truist Park. Since 2009, the first night of the Draft has been held live at MLB Network in Secaucus, N.J. Further details regarding the 2021 Draft will be announced in the coming months. “Today marks a day where we can be optimistic and look towards next July and all the exciting festivities that come along with All-Star Week,” Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said. “We are delighted to also be a part of the first MLB Draft happening in conjunction of All-Star Week and can’t wait to have the spotlight shine on Cobb County, the City of Atlanta, The Battery Atlanta and of course Truist Park.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution Playoff Watch: Braves’ opponent hinges on weekend games By Tim Tucker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Heading into the last weekend of the regular season, six teams are battling neck and neck for the final four spots in the National League playoffs. The Braves will face one of those teams in a best-of-three opening-round series at Truist Park next week. An update through Thursday’s games: Braves closing in on No. 2 seed: The NL East champion Braves need one more win or one more Chicago Cubs loss to clinch the NL’s No.