NEW YORK – Yankees left-hander Max Frit I left Saturday Defeat 5-2 against the Cubs after three innings because of a blister on his left index finger.
It was a chore for Fried that day. He allowed four runs (three earned) and threw 73 pitches in those frames. Fried realized something was wrong with the finger on the penultimate pitch he threw to Jon Berti in the third inning. That’s when he realized a blister was developing.
“I threw the fastball. I kind of felt it go. I threw the changeup with the next pitch and was able to get out of the inning,” Fried said.
Blisters has placed Fried on the injured list several times during his career, but he is unsure of the severity of the current injury. He has the All-Star Break on his side, and the Yankees won’t begin the second half of the season until Friday when they open a three-game series against the Braves.
“It’s too early to tell. The good news is we have time to breathe and we can try to do everything we can,” Fried said. “As far as timelines go, I don’t know exactly how it’s going to play out. Mostly it’s just a matter of seeing how it plays out over the next few days.”
Before the blister became a problem, Fried was looking to throw strikes Saturday. He admitted he didn’t have a good outing before leaving the game. It started in the first inning when he gave up a triple to Nico Hoerner, who scored on a Kyle Tucker groundout.
Fried didn’t allow a run in the second inning, although he worked around a single and a walk. Then things got worse an inning later, when the Cubs scored three runs.
“It wasn’t good not being able to make throws, get out when I needed to,” Fried said. “It was just unfortunate timing. I was grinding and (the blister) showed up at the end. It’s frustrating not being able to cover as many innings and stay on the field.”
Fried is scheduled to go to the All-Star Game in Atlanta after Sunday’s game, but he wasn’t planning on playing anyway because the turnaround time to play in the All-Star Game is too early. He was replaced on the list by teammate Carlos Rodón.
Fried isn’t the only pitcher the Yankees are worried about. Right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga, a reliable reliever during Aaron Boone’s managerial tenure, entered the game in the seventh inning and pitched a 1-2-3 frame before allowing a solo homer to Carson Kelly in the top of the eighth. In July, Loáisiga allowed five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings (10.38 ERA), with his slider being a notable problem.
“It’s the location, of course. For example, the slider. If I execute this throw, I might have weak contact, maybe a ground ball,” Loáisiga said through interpreter Marlon Abreu.
Loáisiga said he was healthy and fully recovered from the elbow reconstruction.
“I felt really good there, strong and normal here,” Loáisiga said. “So I continue to pray for health throughout the rest of the season, and I know things will change and I will start to get the results I want.”
How does Loáisiga know things will change?
“Because this is my (eighth) season. The guys have adapted to me over the years. I have full confidence in the adjustments I have to make to be able to get the results that I know I can get,” he said.
