Because Life Is a Hellscape, Max Fried is Now on the Injured List

Just when it seemed as though the Braves' pitching situation couldn't get any worse than Max Fried and a rotating cast of guys with ERAs over 8.00, you can now take Fried out of that equation for at least a start or two.

Fried was placed on the injured list retroactive to Sunday with what Atlanta is calling a "left-side muscle spasm in his lumbar spine," but what is really just an excuse to sit him down for a while and give him a break from having to carry the team on his back.

After Mike Soroka went down with a torn Achilles, Fried has been nothing short of elite and finds himself in the hunt for the National League Cy Young award. The only problem is that he is quite literally the only Major League-caliber starter the Braves have — even after the trade deadline — unless you count Ian Anderson, who made his third career start Monday.

Assuming it really is just an excuse to give him some rest before the stretch run, it's probably not the worst idea in the world. But when the rest of your starting rotation features the likes of Josh Tomlin, Robby Erlin and Tommy Milone, it's a tough pill to swallow.

It's going to be a real kick in the dick when the Braves once again find themselves in a deciding game of a first round playoff series and trot one of those guys out there to make the start. Not getting a real starter at the deadline will never be defensible no matter what Alex Anthopoulos says and something like Fried having to be shut down for a while really exposes what a tough spot this team is in, regardless of how good the offense can be.