When it comes to starting pitching, the New York Yankees have plenty of reasons to worry.
Having to manage without the services of six-time All-Star Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, Ryan Yarbrough, and Luis Gil, to name a few, the Yankees still find themselves in a playoff position as a result of the successful seasons from starters Carlos Rodon and newcomer Max Fried.
Max Fried’s Health Is Key to Winning the AL East
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Fried, who last off-season had Yankee fans salivating after he signed an eight-year $218 million contract, has been dominant in going 11-3 with a 2.43 ERA and 113 strikeouts in the first half.
Unfortunately Yankee fans received some crushing news when on Saturday, July 12th, the second-to-last game before the All-Star break, Fried was taken out after three innings in a 5-2 loss against the Chicago Cubs due to blister issues on Fried’s left index finger.
Pitching at Yankee Stadium, Fried kept looking at his hand as he surrendered six hits, three earned runs, and struck out only two batters before leaving the game.
“I don’t want to give a hard answer because, honestly, I don’t know yet,” Fried said in reference to whether he would be able to make his next start after the break, which would be at Truist Park against his former team, the Atlanta Braves.
What must be really crushing for Fried was that he was scheduled to pitch in the All-Star Game, which was being played in Atlanta, where, as mentioned, he played for several years. Taking his place was teammate Rodon, who enters the break with a 10-6 record along with a 3.08 ERA and 135 strikeouts.
In his only inning of work, the veteran starter surrendered one hit while striking out a batter before calling it a night.
With no word on when Fried will be back, Yankee fans and management have to be worried and asking themselves what else could go wrong among the starting pitchers?
A report from FanSided’s Jake Elman suggested that perhaps the Yankees should try to trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for 36-year-old veteran pitcher Jose Quintana, who so far this season has gone 6-3 with 48 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP.
“Quintana should come cheap, partly because he is cheap; he’s owed less than $2 million the rest of the season,” Elman said. “Milwaukee can also afford (pun not intended) to part ways with Quintana, given rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski‘s sudden emergence.”
Fried, who threw 73 pitches against the Cubs before coming out, has had earlier blister problems and has dealt with them throughout his career.
He has played in two All-Star games, but you could tell that his third invitation, which was in Atlanta, was one he really, really wanted to play in.
Over his past two starts, Fried has struggled by giving up seven earned runs over 11 innings but didn’t use blisters as an excuse.
“I feel like for the most part, I’ve been throwing the ball process-wise the same,” Fried said. “The last couple (starts), some unfortunate timing on runs and home runs. Today, I was facing a good team that was battling. It’s just one of those grinds. But it’s a long year. I still like the way that I’ve been throwing the ball, and I’m excited to get back out there in the second half.”
You can bet that Yankee Nation will be following closely the news on Fried, who the team desperately needs down the stretch if the Yankees have visions of winning the American League East and getting back to the World Series.
Main Image: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
