Yankees Insider Sounds Alarm on Max Fried's Struggles Ahead of Red Sox Showdown
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The last eight games have been a dream for the New York Yankees, but there's one bad moment that sticks out from that stretch.
It wasn't the one loss the Yankees had against the Minnesota Twins before rattling off five wins in a row. It was Saturday's putrid start for All-Star pitcher Max Fried, who allowed seven earned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals, including two home runs.
Fried somehow got the win in that outing, but his ERA ballooned to over three for the first time since his first appearance. As recently as June 25, Fried's ERA was 1.92; it's now risen to 3.26.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: (NEW YORK DAILES OUT) Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees in action against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on August 10, 2025 in New York...
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: (NEW YORK DAILES OUT) Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees in action against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on August 10, 2025 in New York City. The Astros defeated the Yankees 7-1. (Photo by)As the Yankees get set to begin a critical four-game series with the Boston Red Sox that will unofficially kick off the stretch run, insider Chris Kirschner of The Athletic gave the opinion that Fried's slump is the most pressing issue facing New York these days.
"In my view, Fried's struggles are the biggest concern for the Yankees. He has a 6.80 ERA in his past eight starts, and there haven't been many positives in those outings," wrote Kirschner.
"Throughout this stretch, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has frequently said that it's been more of a command problem than a stuff problem. He's right."
In what could be a classic good news, bad news scenario, Kirschner also hinted that Fried's left index finger blister, which caused him to leave a start against the Chicago Cubs in July, could be contributing to his struggles.
"The Yankees have been adamant that Fried's blister has nothing to do with his struggles. However, his second-most used pitch against righties, his curveball, has seen a drop in Stuff+," Kirschner wrote.
"Before July 1, Fried's curveball had a 120 Stuff+, but it has decreased to 111 since. Notably, his curveball has graded slightly better in Location+ since July 1. The drop in stuff has coincided with an increase in opponent slugging percentage, going from a .321 before July 1 to a .409 slugging percentage after."
Fried is scheduled take on the Red Sox for the second time this season on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Boston has a different look now; gone is Rafael Devers, who homered off Fried in June, but star rookie Roman Anthony and third baseman Alex Bregman, who was injured for six weeks, present tough new challenges.
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