The New York Yankees couldn’t overcome Max Fried’s early exit and a quiet afternoon at the plate, dropping Saturday’s game to the Chicago Cubs, 5-2, in the Bronx.
Fried labored through three innings before leaving with a blister on his pitching hand. The lefty allowed four runs on six hits and struggled with command, throwing just 53% strikes. After escaping early jams, Fried unraveled in the third, as defensive miscues compounded his trouble. An infield error and an errant throw turned a potential inning-ending double play into two more Chicago runs.
The offense never got going against Cubs southpaw Matthew Boyd, who carved up the lineup across eight scoreless frames. Aaron Judge was the lone bright spot, collecting two doubles and then launching his 350th career home run in the ninth, becoming the fastest player ever to reach that mark. It was also his 35th of the season. Cody Bellinger extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a late double, but the Yankees managed just four other hits all day.
The bullpen kept New York within striking distance. Ian Hamilton, Scott Effross, and Jonathan Loáisiga retired 12 straight Cubs before a solo homer off Loáisiga in the eighth pushed Chicago’s lead further.
The Yankees (53-42) look to bounce back and secure a series win on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. before the All-Star break begins. Will Warren will start for New York.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].