Max Fried delivered his strongest start in nearly five months Tuesday night, and the New York Yankees continued their push toward the American League East title with an 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
The Yankees improved to 88-63 and remained 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays, who sit atop the division at 91-59. New York had already secured at least a wild card spot with Monday’s win.
Fried earned his first victory since April 27, allowing one run on seven hits over seven innings. He threw 88 pitches and recorded six strikeouts while limiting Minnesota’s offense throughout the night.
After missing 71 games across two stints on the injured list because of a bone bruise in his elbow, Fried has been particularly effective since the All-Star break. He owns a 1.83 earned-run average with 50 strikeouts over 44.1 innings in nine starts during that span.
Cody Bellinger provided an early spark, collecting three hits and a walk while launching a two-run homer in the first inning. His 16th home run of the season came after Ben Rice opened the game with a single against Bailey Ober. Bellinger is hitting .377 over his last 17 games.
BILLS GAME WEEK: Buffalo opens new Highmark Stadium Thursday night against Lions (preview) Spencer Jones added his 10th homer in the sixth inning, crushing a three-run shot with two outs. A throwing error by rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper allowed four runs to score as unearned runs during the inning.
Aaron Judge received a scheduled night off as he continues working his way back into form. The Yankees finished with 14 hits.
Carlos Rodón will start Wednesday afternoon’s series finale for New York, with Zebby Matthews scheduled to pitch for Minnesota. The first pitch is set for 1:40 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.