Three takeaways from Yankees' series vs. Houston Astros
Max Fried of the Yankees reacts on the mound during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Yankees dropped their third consecutive series, losing two of three to the Astros at the Stadium over the weekend.
As the Yankees (62-56) hold on to the third wild card by a half-game, here are three takeaways:
1. The Yankees’ rotation has a length problem
Since the calendar turned to July, Max Fried has not pitched like an ace.
Fried went 10-2 with a 1.92 ERA in his first 17 starts this season, averaging 6.4 innings per start.
In seven starts since? Fried is 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA in 36 innings, an average of 5.1 per outing. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings in Sunday’s 7-1 loss.
But the length issue applies to the entire rotation. Sunday marked the 10th straight game in which a Yankees starter failed to throw six innings. The last one to do so was Will Warren, who threw six on July 30.
“That's obviously an area we got to improve,” manager Aaron Boone said. “And that’s bitten us a little bit here as you're kind of chasing with the pen every day and having guys down, and then you're getting some guys in some situations they probably shouldn't be in. So we got to improve in that area. We got to get some outings where we get a little bit deeper.
“If we do that, I think we set up very well down in our bullpen. But we got to get some outings where we get deeper into games.”
2. Trent Grisham has the clutch gene
Grisham played the hero in Saturday’s 5-4 win, crushing a tiebreaking solo homer with two outs in the eighth.
Add it to his growing list of moments.
Eleven of Grisham’s 21 homers have given the Yankees the lead. Five have tied the score. He has four homers that have either tied the score or given the Yankees the lead in the eighth inning or later.
According to FanGraphs as of Sunday morning, Grisham’s 245 wRC+ in high leverage (minimum 30 plate appearances) was the best in MLB. He has a .346/.469/.808 slash line with four homers and 16 RBIs in 33 high-leverage plate appearances.
3. Giancarlo Stanton returns to the field as Aaron Judge has yet to get going
With Judge active but limited to being a designated hitter as he recovers from a flexor strain in his right elbow, Boone had to get creative.
Stanton started in rightfield on Saturday, his first outfield action since he played leftfield on Sept. 14, 2023. He played seven innings Saturday and two more Sunday after pinch hitting, holding his own while getting minimal action.
Judge reiterated Sunday that he has no timeline to return to rightfield, and Boone — while optimistic before the game — did not want to speculate either.
In five games since returning, Judge has struggled at the plate. He is 3-for-15 with no extra-base hits, four walks and four strikeouts. He said Saturday that his swings are pain-free.
Judge went 0-for-3 on Sunday. He said: “[Even] if I was 3-for-4 today, I think there's always room for improvement.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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