Yankees Prevail Despite Max Fried’s Struggles

ST. LOUIS – The Yankees took home the win on Saturday night, but if Max Fried keeps this up, they might face bigger challenges ahead.

Fried had a challenging performance, allowing eight hits and seven runs over five innings, though his teammates rallied for a 12-8 win against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

It’s been a tough stretch for him, which is surprising given his previous dominance during the early part of the season. “I definitely need to change something and change it right away,” Fried admitted, acknowledging his performance isn’t where it should be.

Before this slump, he was riding high with a 1.92 ERA after seven innings of one-run ball at Cincinnati on June 25th. But that feels like a long time ago now, as he has averaged a 6.80 ERA over his last eight outings.

“It wasn’t sharp,” he said. “There were no good results. When you go there and there’s a good outing, I couldn’t do it. I’m working hard to make the best adjustments possible. They aren’t really showing, but we’re really here to win the game.”

Fried did find a rhythm after giving up a three-run homer to Machine Winn in the second inning, retiring 11 of the next 12 batters. However, his outing ended on a sour note when he allowed a two-run shot to Nolan Gorman in the sixth.

While Fried has had issues with walks recently, he only issued one on Saturday, even reaching a milestone with his 1,000th career strikeout. Still, for the Yankees to achieve their goals this season, they need him to regain his form completely.

“Even elite-level pitchers experience this at times,” manager Aaron Boone noted. “He gets there. He gets through it. There’s nothing wrong with him. Physically, he’s in a good place. It’s another level of execution. You’re going through it a little, so you’re mentally fighting yourself. He’s too good to not get through it.”