Controversial Braves rotation decision works out in their favor after Max Fried's gem

As it turned out, the Atlanta Braves are still very much alive to make the postseason. After some truly frightening weather over the course of this week, Atlanta caught one break after another on Friday night. The Braves won 3-0 over the Kansas City Royals in Max Fried's gem of a performance. The Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets lost. Plus, the Royals clinched a playoff berth after a loss.

The Braves made a controversial decision to start Fried over NL Cy Young favorite Chris Sale in Friday night's game vs. the Royals. Atlanta did not play on Wednesday or Thursday due to Hurricane Helene making its way up from the Gulf of Mexico and into the Southeastern United States. The thought behind this was Fried is a more routine-focused pitcher, whereas Sale does not need as much prep.

Fried went 8.2 innings of three-hit ball, walking two and striking out nine. He nearly went the distance for the third time this season, but eventually gave way to closer Raisel Iglesias to record the final out. Atlanta will call upon another NL All-Star pitcher on Saturday, as Reynaldo Lopez will get the start coming off the injured list. The plan is for Atlanta to use Sale whenever it is in an elimination game.

Atlanta holds the tie-breaker over Arizona and could get one over New York with one win on Monday.

With only two wild card berths to be had between the three of them, the hottest teams will get in.

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Atlanta Braves were right to start Max Fried on Friday over Chris Sale

Not to say this is getting lost in the conversation, but there is a chance that may have been Fried's last start at Truist Park, not only the season, but potentially in a Braves uniform. Atlanta would need to get to the NLDS to be in a position to host a home playoff game. The Braves are in all likelihood going to either Milwaukee or San Diego for their NLWCS should they qualify. Fried would pitch in that series.

At the tail-end of the final year of his Braves contract, Fried will be hitting free agency. For as much as Braves Country would like for him to return, he is the type of player that general manager Alex Anthopoulos routinely lets walk in free agency. A star player post-30 who is slated to make a ton of cash the first real time he goes to market. Don't be shocked if Fried pitches for his hometown team.

So with all of that in mind, Fried took it upon himself to give Atlanta a show, especially after how nasty the weather was over the better part of this week. He left it all out there on the field in one of his best performances of his Braves career. Nothing will top what he did in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, but Friday night reinforced the type of competitor he has been throughout his entire Atlanta career.

Now that Fried has set the stage for the Braves, it will be up to Lopez to build off what he has done.