Max Fried Tries To Even ALDS Up At 1

Max Fried pitched the game of his life today. The Yankees, who were down in their series with the Blue Jays, did not want to go down 0-2 in this series. Fried is the Yankees’ stopper, and they needed him to be that today. He was not good enough, as the Yankees lost 13-7. This was a game the Yankees needed to win. Fried started this game against rookie Trey Yesavage. He has pitched well in only three starts. Do you think Max Fried is the best pitcher in the American League?

Lineups: Supporting Max Fried In Game 2

The Toronto Blue Jays had George Springer leading off, and he was the designated hitter. Davis Schneider was the left fielder and batted second. Nathan Lukes pinch-hit for him and stayed in to play right field. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the first baseman and batted third. Alejandro Kirk was the catcher and batted fourth.  Daulton Varsho was the center fielder and batted fifth.

Ernie Clement was the third baseman and batted sixth. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the second baseman and batted seventh. Andrés Giménez was the shortstop and batted eighth. Myles Sraw was the right fielder and batted ninth. He moved to left field.

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham played center field and led off. Aaron Judge was the right fielder and batted second. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted third. Ben Rice was the first baseman and batted fourth. He moved to catcher in the seventh inning. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fifth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the second baseman and batted sixth.

Ryan McMahon was the third baseman and batted seventh. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted eighth. Austin Wells was the catcher and batted ninth. Paul Goldschmidt pinch-hit for him in the sixth inning. He stayed in to play first base.

News and Notes

Fried needed to pitch well today in a game the Yankees needed to win. They did not want to head home to Yankee Stadium down 0-2. They needed Fried to even the series this afternoon. The Yankees wasted many opportunities yesterday in an awful 10-1 loss. The game was actually closer than the score indicated.

There is some thought that Luke Weaver, the Yankee relief pitcher who had not retired a batter this postseason, might be tipping his pitches. Whatever is going on, this is a bad time of year for the struggles to happen.

Game Reaction

Fried gave up a second-inning home run to Clement, who does not have a lot of power. Since the Yankees needed this game, this was an unwelcome development. Yankee fans thought. Here we go again. The Blue Jays are 74-5 when they scored 5 runs, so it was not looking good for the Yankees. Yasavage throws with the highest arm angle in Major League Baseball. He throws very over the top and is very hard to hit.

Scoring Summary

In the second inning, Clement hit a two-run home run, and Varsho scored. It was 2-0 Blue Jays. In the third inning, Kirk grounded out and Schneider scored. It was 3-0 Blue Jays. Then Varsho doubled and Guerrero Jr. scored. It was 4-0 Blue Jays. Then Clement singled, and Varsho scored. It was 5-0 Blue Jays.

In the fourth inning, Guerrero Jr. hit a grand slam. Gimenez, Straw, and Springer scored. It was 9-0 Blue Jays. Then Varsho hit a two-run home run, and Kirk scored. It was 11-0 Blue Jays. In the fifth inning, Springer hit a solo home run. They led 12-0. In the sixth inning, Bellinger hit a two-run home run, and Judge scored. It was 12-2, Blue Jays.

In the sixth inning, Varsho hit a solo home run. It was 13-2 Blue Jays. In the seventh inning, the Yankees scored five runs. Judge singled, and McMahon scored. Then, Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly and Goldschmidt scored. It was 13-4 Blue Jays. Third, Rice doubled, and Grisham scored. Fourth, Stanton singled and two runs scored. Judge and Rice scored. When it was all said and done, it was 13-7 Blue Jays. That was the final score of the game.

Conclusion

Fried was not good in this game. Fried has been a stopper for the Yankees, following up Yankee losses with wins. The series takes a pause tomorrow before heading back to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday at 8 p.m. They have Carlos Rodon starting for them in that game, and it will probably be a bullpen game for the Blue Jays.