Fried keeps Yankees surging with 13-K showcase

BALTIMORE -- There's thing similar watching Max Fried transportation to alleviate immoderate of the angst and unit associated with managing the New York Yankees successful the midst of a pennant race.

Aaron Boone had a blast Thursday nighttime watching Fried mow down the Baltimore Orioles successful a 7-0 rout. The left-hander struck retired 13 and allowed lone 3 singles implicit 7 sparkling innings.

"Fun," Boone said afterward. "I conscionable emotion watching him pitch. He's specified a bully athlete, and you spot the athleticism connected the mound -- the antithetic ways helium tin get you out."

The swing-and-a-miss was the manner successful which Fried (18-5) got astir of his outs against the last-place Orioles. Mixing his fastball with a nasty changeups and a drop-down curveball, the lefty struck retired everyone successful the starting lineup astatine slightest erstwhile but for Gunnar Henderson.

"I was capable some sides of the sheet and had a existent bully consciousness for my changeup," Fried said. "I'm feeling truly bully physically."

The 13 strikeouts tied a vocation precocious and the 18 wins marked a vocation champion for the erstwhile Atlanta standout, who signed an eight-year, $218 cardinal declaration with New York arsenic a escaped cause successful December.

So far, Fried is looking similar a precise bully investment.

"I consciousness similar he's successful a existent bully spot. He's throwing the shot well," Boone said. "He's an ace, and helium pitches similar that. He's had a phenomenal twelvemonth to this point."

And not conscionable connected the mound, either.

"The benignant of idiosyncratic and teammate helium is, he's everything you'd privation successful bringing idiosyncratic successful to beryllium a featured feline successful your rotation," Boone noted.

The Orioles had nary chance. Fried retired 12 consecutive aft allowing a second-inning azygous to Coby Mayo, and struck retired Tyler O'Neill with 2 connected and 2 outs successful the sixth.

"It was truthful tough. He conscionable hammered down and distant with that sinker," Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. "And helium painted. That catcher's mounting up connected the achromatic and he's hitting the mitt astir of the night. The changeup was truly good. That is an ace close determination without a doubt."

The surging Yankees person won 17 of 24 to get wrong 3 games of first-place Toronto successful the AL East. Come playoff time, Boone knows who helium tin crook to successful a large game.

"He's had a fig of beauteous awesome games this year," Boone said. "This was truly good, truly efficient."

And a full blast to ticker from the Yankees' dugout.

"It's a batch of fun," Boone said, "watching him erstwhile he's successful a bushed similar that."