Max Fried’s run against the Yankees comes to an end as Red Sox pitcher shines brighter.

Boston Showdown: Yankees vs. Red Sox

On a Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, Max Fried found himself in quite the predicament as he couldn’t quite step in to save the Yankees’ struggling offense. Unless, of course, he decided to take a swing himself.

Fried, generally solid when pitching after Yankees losses, had a bit of an off day, yielding two runs over seven innings in a 2-0 loss to the Red Sox. It felt, I think, like he was almost punishing himself for not being perfect.

“I see it as I need to improve and keep pace with [Red Sox starter Brayan Bello],” Fried commented thoughtfully.

Bello shut down the Yankees with seven scoreless innings, while Fried allowed one run in the first and another in the fifth. That’s not easy to swallow, especially when you know you’ve got the skills.

Before this game, the Yankees boasted an impressive 8-0 record in Fried’s starts following a loss, having given up only five runs in 54 innings across those outings. But on Sunday, the bats fell eerily silent.

“He put in seven strong innings, doing everything he could to give us a shot at winning,” manager Aaron Boone remarked. It must have been frustrating for Boone to see Fried doing so well yet still coming up short.

At the bottom of the first, Romy Gonzalez helped extend the inning with a triple to right field, following Fried’s effort to clean up a fielding error from Anthony Volpe by inducing a double play. Trevor Story then added a single to push the Sox into a 1-0 lead.

Fried’s troubles continued in the fifth when Rafael Devers extended the Red Sox lead, sneaking a solo home run over the Green Monster. Talk about a tough spot to be in.

Fried noted that his fastball, clocking in at 94 mph, missed its intended place. The pitch, aimed for a more precise spot, ended up catching too much of the plate. “I didn’t love where it finished, but it’s not all bad,” he remarked.

Despite the loss, Fried wrapped up the day with a 1.89 ERA, allowing nine hits and two walks while throwing a season-high 106 pitches. It seemed like a solid performance, even if the results didn’t reflect it immediately.

“They’re a talented team,” he acknowledged. “Their at-bats are strong, and they have a clear game plan. They earned those two runs and created challenging counts all day.” It was evident that Fried respected the fight his opponents put up.

Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton spent his Sunday at Yankee Stadium, getting ready to rejoin the team after spending two and a half months on the injured list with tendonitis in both elbows. There’s anticipation about him being activated, possibly as soon as Monday or Tuesday.