If the New York Yankees are going to make noise in the American League playoffs, they are going to need Max Fried.
Yet, even though the Yankees won their second straight, and improved to 5-2 in their past seven games with a 12-8 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Fried’s suspect outing left Yankees fans feeling anxious again.
Fried threw five-plus innings and allowed seven earned runs and eight hits, including a pair of home runs to Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman, the latter of which was a two-run blast that knocked him out of the game.
What Happened To Max Fried?
The Yankees staked Fried to a lead before he even took the mound, since Aaron Judge drove in Trent Grisham on a first-inning double before Cardinals starter Sonny Gray had even recorded an out.
Yet, Fried struggled mightily, especially over the first two innings where he surrendered five runs, including Winn’s two-run homer that made it 5-2.
Fried’s struggles continues a troublesome trend over the past six weeks. The left-hander was a potential Cy Young candidate in the first half — and had a case to potentially start the All-Star Game in his former home, Atlanta — yet has a 6.80 ERA and 4.60 FIP over his past eight starts since July 1.
“Just haven’t been sharp,” said Fried, according to the New York Post. “Haven’t had the good results. When you got to go out there and have good outings, I haven’t been able to do that.”
With starters Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt on the IL after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year, the Yankees have needed Fried to be the stopper now more than ever.
Plus, with the Yankees scuffling — they are 18-21 since July 1 and are just 2.5 games up on the Cleveland Guardians for the final AL playoff spot — they could use some Fried-like outings.
“I definitely have to change something and change it up quick,” Fried said.
The Yankees bailed out Fried, especially Judge, Grisham and Ben Rice. Rice had seven RBIs, including a three-run homer, Judge struck his 39th blast of the season and Grisham had four hits and scored four runs in New York’s second straight win.
“I’m working hard in between to try to make the best adjustments I can. They haven’t really been showing, but we’re here to win games,” Fried said. “Really fortunate today that they put up 12 runs to be able to cover me. But I know going forward, I got to be way better.”
What Did Aaron Boone Say About Max Fried’s Struggles?
FOX commentator Adam Wainwright cited the weather as the potential for Fried to struggle, since the humidity likely had an impact on Fried’s grip.
Still, Fried’s manager Aaron Boone blamed Fried’s regression on a slump.
“Even the elite-level pitchers go through things like this at times,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’ll get there. He’ll get through it. There’s nothing wrong with him. Physically he’s in a good spot, stuff’s there.”
Boone is confident Fried will figure it out before the Yankees start relying on him in the postseason.
“It’s just another level of execution,” Boone said. “You’re kind of going through it a little bit, so you’re mentally fighting yourself. There’s no alarming, ‘Oh his stuff’s down,’ or, ‘What’s wrong with this?’ He’s too good to not get through it.”
Max Fried Struggles Again In Yankees Win