The slumping New York Yankees will turn to ace left-hander Max Fried to help snap a three-game losing streak when they play the Texas Rangers on Monday night in Arlington, Texas.
Fried (12-4, 2.62 ERA) will be countered in the opener of a three-game series by left-handed workhorse Patrick Corbin (6-7, 3.78) of the Rangers.
The new-look Yankees will continue a road trip that started with a trio of losses in Miami, including 7-3 on Sunday afternoon.
The Rangers will return home after losing three of four games to Seattle, including a 5-4 defeat on Sunday that dropped the team to 2-5 on its seven-game road trip.
Fried was 2-2 with a 5.54 ERA in five starts in July. He heads to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex off his best start since July 6. In that one, on Tuesday, Fried surrendered four runs (two earned) on four hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine in a 7-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I’ve not had the best results in the last however many starts,” Fried said after Tuesday’s performance. “It was just important for me to go out there and make sure we put us in a really good chance to win. Just wanted to bear down, hold us there to be able to help the offense do what they do.”
Fried threw a career-high 111 pitches in the appearance against Tampa Bay. He gave up two unearned runs and then a home run in the first inning but retired 14 straight batters later in the game.
“Just kind of a stud, grind-it (out) effort by Max,” New York manager Aaron Boone said.
Fried has yet to face the Rangers in his 190-game MLB career.
Corbin will take the ball for Texas on Monday and will make his 21st start of the season — which is second on the team to ace Jacob deGrom (22). Corbin, who has three straight no-decisions, has allowed a combined four runs (three earned) over 16 1/3 innings.
Corbin’s most recent appearance was a five-inning stint against the Los Angeles Angels in which he allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks in a clash the Rangers lost 8-5 on Tuesday. It was the 16th straight start in which he’s pitched at least five innings and the fifth game in a row he’s surrendered two earned runs or fewer.
“I love the competition part of it,” said Corbin, who signed with Texas as a free agent in March. “The reason why I wanted to come here is to be in games that matter and to be on a good team. It’s been fun so far, and we have a long way to go.”
In six lifetime appearances against the Yankees (all of them starts), Corbin has a 2-1 record and a 2.72 ERA over 36 1/3 innings. The loss came on May 20, when he allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in a 5-2 setback in New York.