Jack Flaherty and Max Fried are dominating on the mound, each leading strong stretches for their respective teams. Flaherty has been lights out for the Cardinals, throwing eight shutout innings on one hit in his latest outing. Over his last nine games, he’s pitched 56.1 innings with a 0.80 ERA and just 29 hits allowed. His command and velocity are sharp, and he’s getting support from St. Louis defenders like Tommy Edman holding down the hot corner. Kevin Pillar was one of many victims of Flaherty’s rising fastball, dubbed the “gas mask” for how much it fools hitters.
Down in Atlanta, Max Fried is putting together a solid run of his own. He baffled hitters over seven innings of one-hit ball, at one point retiring 19 straight. A soft infield dribbler was the only blemish. His combo of slow, sweeping curveballs and surprising fastballs top out near 95 mph, and he’s backed by clutch defense including Josh Donaldson flashing the glove. Fried is 7-0 in his last nine starts, with Atlanta going 9-0 in those games. His ERA during that stretch sits at a clean 3.00.
An interesting footnote connects these two to White Sox righty Lucas Giolito. All three came out of the same high school in California. Giolito may have the bragging rights with an All-Star appearance, but both Flaherty and Fried are making cases of their own with dominant stuff and consistency.