ATLANTA — It took Max Fried, the left-handed wunderkind whose fastball and changeup deftly steered Atlanta to a World Series title last year, only three pitches to get two outs on Tuesday afternoon. Ranger Suárez, who was making his first career postseason start, loaded the bases and required 26 pitches to complete the first inning.
Of course, it was Suárez’s Philadelphia Phillies who finished the first inning with a two-run lead — the foundation for a victory, 7-6, to start their National League division series against an Atlanta team that spent the second half of the season mesmerizing just about all of baseball.