ST. LOUIS — Once dominant, Max Fried is now struggling to command and there are warning signs for the New York Yankees.
Just a few months ago, Max Fried looked like the ace the New York Yankees were banking on to stabilize their rotation. Through the end of June, the left-hander carried a 1.92 ERA, a number that had him in the Cy Young conversation. But since then, the results have shifted dramatically, with his command faltering and hitters squaring him up in ways rarely seen before.
Saturday’s start in St. Louis highlighted the concerns. Fried allowed seven runs in five innings, marking the third time in his career he has given up that many. Still, thanks to Ben Rice’s seven RBIs in a 12-8 slugfest win, he walked away with a victory.
“It’s frustrating. I definitely have to change something and change it quick,” Fried said after the game. “We were lucky they put up 12 runs, but going forward, I’ve got to be better.”
Numbers show troubling trends for Fried
Baseball Savant data paints a clearer picture of Fried’s struggles. Opposing hitters are producing an average exit velocity of 87.3 mph against him, with a 38.6 percent hard-hit rate. Those numbers point to pitches staying in the zone and lacking the sharp movement that once made him one of the game’s toughest starters.
FanGraphs’ splits tell the bigger story. Since the beginning of July, Fried owns a 6.00 ERA across seven starts. Three of those outings ended with four or more runs allowed. His strikeouts are down, his walks are up, and his fastball command has become inconsistent.
His signature curveball, once a swing-and-miss weapon, is no longer fooling hitters. The four-seamer is also being hit hard, leading to crooked numbers early in games.
“I haven’t been sharp, I haven’t had the good results,” Fried admitted. “When you gotta go out there and have good outings, I haven’t been able to do that. I know that going forward, I gotta be way better.”
Manager shows support
For Yankees manager Aaron Boone, the struggles have not raised panic alarms. Boone pointed to Fried’s underlying stuff still being intact, saying the lefty just needs to sharpen his command.
“He’ll get through it,” Boone said. “He’s fighting through it. He’s working his tail off, the stuff’s there, we just gotta find that next level of execution.”
Boone noted that during a stretch of Saturday’s game, Fried showed signs of getting back to form. After giving up four runs in the second inning, he retired 11 of the next 12 batters, including five on strikeouts, before giving up another home run in the sixth.
“I think he was just commanding the strike zone at a really high level,” Boone said. “He’s gotta make sure he uses both sides of the plate. He just got into a good rhythm from a command standpoint, too.”
Refusing to panic
Despite his ERA climbing from 1.92 at the end of June to 3.26 by mid-August, Fried has refused to let the slump shake his confidence.
When asked about his level of concern, he made it clear he is motivated but not panicking.
“I’m not in any panic mode,” Fried said. “But there is definitely motivation to make sure I don’t keep doing this.”
Since developing a blister on his left index finger before the All-Star break, the numbers have been alarming. Over his last six starts, he has a 7.20 ERA with 29 runs allowed in 30 innings. That includes 40 hits and 13 walks, raising his WHIP to 1.767 during the stretch.
“It’s frustrating in this stretch that I haven’t been able to get ground balls and weak contact,” Fried said. “It’s putting us in holes. I definitely have to change something and change up quick.”
Yankees need their ace back
The Yankees entered the season counting on Fried to anchor a rotation already missing Gerrit Cole for the year and Clarke Schmidt for months. His presence was supposed to give them stability. Instead, his downturn has left the club searching for reliable innings at a time when October looms closer.
The lefty admitted he has been working hard between starts to make adjustments but acknowledged the results have not followed.
“I’m working hard in between to make the best adjustments that I can, and they haven’t really been showing,” he said. “I can’t give the guys enough credit. They came out today and played a really great game and picked me up big-time. Wish I had been a little bit better and less runs up there, but at the end of the day, we got a win. That’s the most important thing.”
For Boone, the focus is on Fried getting back to attacking hitters and throwing quality strikes from the outset of at-bats.
“For several starts in there, it was not consistently getting ahead at all,” Boone said. “A lot of 1-0, start from there. Then the Astros got him where he was just not putting guys away. I think it’s just that next level of command.”
Warning signs but optimism
Fried’s recent line — four runs or more allowed in four of his last five starts since the break — is a warning sign for a Yankees team trying to hold ground in the playoff race. But his track record and the confidence of his manager offer some hope he can regain form.
“It was good for a little bit,” Fried said of Saturday’s middle innings. “Just made two bad pitches again in the sixth.”
The Yankees are banking on him to rediscover the sharp command and deception that once made him one of the best pitchers in baseball. For now, Fried is sticking to his work and resisting the urge to let the slump dictate his confidence.
“I know I gotta be way better,” Fried said. “That’s my focus.”
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