The Yankees scraped back and won Saturday. It didn't look good early on. Max Fried turned in his eighth start in a row that look rough. He didn't look sharp. He was roughed up for seven runs on eight hits across five-plus innings. It was what we are used to seeing since July.....and we can't have that trend continue. The Yankees won because the offense picked him up.
The Yankees need the Fried that was on the mound for his first 17 starts of the season. That Fried had a 1.92 ERA and was an early favorite for a Cy Young award. Since then, he has been knocked around to a 6.80 ERA in his last eight starts. We need the Fried from early on in the season to show up and help this team compete for a postseason spot. He is a key piece to making this team competitive.
So Aaron Boone and Matt Blake need to get out there and get him back on track. There's a lot to fix, especially mechanically. Fried is off balance on pitches and forcing his off speed stuff. His control of the curveball is near nonexistent. His arm is flailing and resulting in wild pitches. When he throws, he falls off toward third which has resulted in 9 hit batsman which is the most in his career. If Blake can help him square up his delivery then his pitches will have more bite and more downward motion. He will keep more pitchers off balance and we will see him get through more innings and miss more bats.
On top of mechanical issues, Fried has dealt with blisters in the second half of the season. He's no stranger to this, he dealt with it regularly in Atlanta also. Seems he hasn't been the same since the blister issue showed up. You have to wonder if he has changed his grips to avoid the issue. If he has, it's obviously not working. so this could be a mental issue for him also. Mechanical issues paired with psyche concerns are not great odds when the Yankees are relying on Fried to be the ace this season.
The Yankees have a tough reality to face. Even if Fried is struggling, the Yankees need him. He's got the experience needed and we know he's got the talent because we saw it at the beginning of the season. We don't have enough pitching depth to imagine a world where Fried isn't available for the remainder of the season.
Fried will be at the center of the Yankees fortunes or failures. There's no choice but to get him right....and NOW. There's no time to waste as the Yankees continue to play through an "easier" part of their schedule so every game matters. When Fried is on the mound, we need to see early season Fried....not this version.
Get to work, Blake!
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