Sonny Gray Takes On Max Fried In Game 2 Of Series

===

Sonny Gray and Max Fried are slated to face off this evening at 7:15 in the Fox Game of the Week. Gray is a former Yankee who was a target of scorn from Yankee fans. Fried has struggled of late, pitching to a 6.00 earned run average since July 1. Gray is interesting. Just like his entire career, he is much better at home than on the road. The splits this year are striking. He pitches to a 3.33 earned run average at home and a 5.23 earned run average on the road. Do you think  Fried will be able to turn it around against Gray and the Cardinals?

Sonny Gray Takes On Fried

In this second game of the series in St. Louis, Sonny Gray is pitching for the Cardinals. He is the ace of their team, so the game is sure to be a difficult one for the Yankees. He is 11-5 on the season. His home and road performance nets out to a 4.06 earned run average with a 1.15 WHIP. He has 148 strikeouts, so he could be a challenge for the free-swinging Yankees.

For the Yankees, Fried is pitching. It used to be a guarantee that the Yankees would win, but since July 1, he has an earned run average of almost 6.00. He developed a blister on his throwing hand and has not been the same since. The Yankees hope he gets back on track against the Cardinals. Gray is a difficult pitching matchup for the Yankees, and he likes to pitch against his former teams. Therefore, Fried needs to be on his game. If he is, this game could be fairly low scoring.

Just Barely

The Yankees got a much-needed victory last night as they prevailed 4-3. The Yankees built a 4-0 lead in the game, then held on as the Cardinals chipped away and almost eroded the Yankee lead. The Yankee trade acquisition, David Bednar, has been good as the closer. He shut down the Cardinals in the ninth inning last night, and though he pitched, he is a bulldog who will take the ball again. There is no question, runs will be at a premium again as Gray faces Fried.

Stanton To Play Right Field

Even though there is a heat wave in St. Louis, Yankee Manager Aaron Boone said Giancarlo Stanton will play right field in tonight’s game. Stanton has had no issues in right field. Everyone was concerned he would. Many commentators have said that Stanton’s batting seems to get a boost from playing the field. That may be the case.

The Yankees want his bat in there against Gray as long as Aaron Judge is the designated hitter. He was 0-of-5 last night and is looking to bounce back. Stanton has said he will do what he needs to do to help the team.

Conclusion

Gray is a bit of a head case. He did not seem to be able to pitch in New York, but he also seems to relish pitching against his former team. His home and road splits are alarming and further point to a fragile mentality. No question has his work cut out for him against Fried and the Yankee hitters. The Yankees should win this game, but it will be low-scoring.