ATLANTA — Max Fried is penciled in to return to the mound for Thursday’s series opener against the Washington Nationals. Fried allowed one run over five innings last Tuesday against the Phillies, but exited after five innings and 87 pitches after beginning to develop a blister on his index finger. The Braves elected to err on the side of caution and chose to give him extra rest in an effort to prevent it from becoming a lingering issue.
“In the last inning, just started to feel like it was coming on. Kind of caught it before it got really bad,” Fried said.