Middays With Rick & John

Headed in to Tuesday night, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher had not won a game in his last seven starts. The Braves offense, headed by first baseman Matt Olson by putting up nine runs in the first two innings, with Olson driving in five of those. Then the rains came. After an 86 minute rain delay, Max Fried told Braves manager Brian Snitker that he wanted to go back in the game, and Snitker obliged. Fried ended up going five innings in totality while giving up only one earned run, and the Braves bullpen was able to hold on for a 10-6 victory. This was a huge win for Max Fried, who since returning from the IL has slowly but surely increased his workload and gets a much deserved win. While Olson did most of the heavy lifting for the Braves offense, an unsung hero of Monday night’s game was second baseman Whit Merrifield, who went five for five at the plate and scored twice. This presents a unique opportunity for the Braves once Ozzie Albies comes back, as Merrifield has hit right around .400 since joining the c