This has been a very stupid series.
The Yankees haven’t exactly shown up against their premiere rival on back-to-back weekends, and while the lead in the AL East has shrunk from 5 games to 4.5, the play on the field hasn’t inspired much. Just like Monday night in Kansas City, Max Fried will be tasked with stopping the skid on Sunday afternoon.
You already know everything about Fried. If the season ended today, I’m not sure he’d be the AL Cy Young winner, but I do think he’d be a finalist. 1.84 ERA, 2.87 FIP, and in extra control of his contact allowed, he’s been everything the Yankees could have asked for. In a perfect world, Fried would be the guy you turn to to ensure a series win, or seal a sweep, but instead he’s asked to prevent a pretty gross result on the road.
Brayan Bello, meanwhile, continues to be a guy with all the stuff in the world who can’t pull it all together. You’ll watch his offerings tonight and compare them with his ERA and FIP, and be a little stumped. With a career low strikeout rate and career high walk rate, he just can’t get the ball into the zone, despite a sinker and fastball that do pop the radar gun.
Last night was the Yankees’ last national broadcast until August. It’s the YES crew from here on out, and I’m happy for it.
Last point — Happy Father’s Day to all the dads today. I’ll be calling mine from 3200km away during the game, I hope your kids call you too.
How to watch
Location: Fenway Park — Boston, MA
First pitch: 1:35pm Eastern
TV broadcast: YES, NESN
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 / WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (SP), WESX 1230 AM (SP)
Online stream: MLB.tv (out-of-market)
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