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Welp, New York Yankees left-handed pitcher Max Fried was never going to be untouchable for the entire season.
Fried, who signed an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees in free agency this past offseason, was arguably the league's best starter through his first 11 starts with a 1.29 ERA while holding the club record for the most consecutive outings without allowing more than two runs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a different beast, however, and the two teams, whether they admit it or not, had a little extra juice for their rematch of the 2024 World Series.
Fried was plenty familiar with the Dodgers after consistently doing battle with them atop the National League totem pole as a member of the Atlanta Braves, but what transpired on Friday night was likely still a shock to his system.
After allowing a pair of runs over the first two innings, highlighted by a Shohei Ohtani leadoff homer in the first, Fried settled in and held Los Angeles scoreless for the next three frames.
When the 31-year-old graced the mound in the bottom of the sixth, New York was holding onto a 5-2 lead. Things quickly unravelled for Fried, though, as Ohtani once again went deep to kick off the inning before Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith hit back-to-back singles.
Freddie Freeman, reigning MVP of the Fall Classic and Fried's longtime Braves teammate, would then knock his old friend out of the game with an RBI double that cut the Yankees' advantage to 5-4.
Right-handed reliever Jonathan Loáisiga closed the book on Fried by allowing Smith to come around and score on an Andy Pages single, tying things up at 5-5.
The Dodgers tacked on another run in the inning before adding two more in the eighth en route to an 8-5 victory in front of their home crowd.
Fried's ERA rose to 1.92 after his uneven night, which he believes was a result of poor execution and command.
"Mostly, it was just execution, leaving balls in the middle of the plate,” he said, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. “I wasn’t going to the locations I wanted to, and when you’re facing a good team with good hitters, they’re going to make you pay for it.”
Fried hadn't allowed five runs or more to score against him in the regular season since an August 4, 2024 outing against the Miami Marlins, and his three stikeouts were his lowest in a start since facing the Toronto Blue Jays on April 27 this season.
He'll certainly bounce back, but Fried will likely want to wash his hands clean of his performance on Friday night.
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TODAY'S BEST
Braves Make Next Major Shakeup to Staff
The Atlanta Braves have reportedly made their latest change to the staff. They have parted ways with the director of pitching development, Paul Davis, per source. A previous position that he held, before his time with the Braves, was the pitching coach of the Seattle Mariners, and he spent five years with the St. Louis Cardinals organization before that. Davis is known for his unsual path to being on a big-league staff. He never played beyond college baseball, and his coaching job with the Mariners was his first in the professional ranks. This move comes as somewhat of a surprise, given the young pitching prospects the Braves have been developing. Over the last few years, pitchers such as Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep have come through the system. He was known for his analytical approach, which included his well-regarded use of video and technology. When players arrived to the Braves system, he said in an interview back in August that his goal was to develop pitchers into champions, not just Major Leaguers. Some other rising prospects, such as JR Ritchie, can be credited as the product of his tenure. Ritchie is now a top-100 prospect. Smith-Shawver has previously been in the top 100. As of now, this is the only known move the Braves have made apart from promoting Brian Snitker to senior adviser following his retirement as manager. Coaches under Snitker still hold their positions. However, they have reportedly been granted permission to interview for other jobs. More changes are expected to come because of this permission to seek other positions with other teams. Some changes could come after years with the organization, such as pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bench coach Walt Weiss, if they were to leave, while others, such as Tim Hyers, would come after just one season, if he were to part ways. According to recent reports, the Braves have not begun to request interviews from other teams. From a managerial standpoint, only one speculative option is off the board. The Rangers promoted Skip Schumaker from senior adviser to manager. All teams with open positions, except for the Braves, inquired about Schumaker. More From Atlanta Braves on SI
Steelers Interested In Exciting 2020 Top-10 Draft Pick After Free Agent Visit
The Pittsburgh Steelers are always looking to improve their roster. That was seen throughout the 2025 offseason with the amount of transactions General Manager Omar Khan completed, but it is also something that is a priority during the regular season. When it is in-season most teams are trying to upgrade their depth, which is something Pittsburgh will look to do as attrition continues to set in as the team plays more games. This leads to the team hosting workouts with current free agents, and even signing some, whether that be to the practice squad or to the active roster. Pittsburgh has played four games now and is coming off of its bye week in Week 5. This means the team has some injuries in various areas, and it also gives the coaching staff and Khan a better idea of where some upgrades need to occur. This means more players might be brought in for workouts, and that is exactly what happened on Wednesday as the franchise hosted two linebackers on workouts. Pittsburgh brought in Michael Barrett as well as former top-10 pick Isaiah Simmons. Simmons is a prominent name in the NFL. He was selected with the eighth overall pick back in the 2020 NFL Draft as he was picked by the Arizona Cardinals. He was considered one of the best defenders in the country during his college career at Clemson, where he won the National Championship at the end of the 2018 season. Simmons was lauded as a prospect coming into the NFL. He was seen as a hybrid between an inside linebacker and a safety, and his athleticism was off the charts. It was noted that he needed to be put in the right situation, and the right system, in order to succeed. That never really happened. He spent just three seasons in Arizona before being traded to the New York Giants. He signed for the following season in New York, but he was not brought back after 2024. He signed with the Green Bay Packers during the 2025 offseason but did not make the final roster. The linebacker's best season came in 2022 with the Cardinals. He recorded 99 total tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Despite the successful year he was traded away. In his two seasons with the Giants he played in all 34 games while starting five of them. He tallied 71 total tackles, a pick six, and a sack during that time. Simmons has shown flashes throughout his career, but he has never been able to remain consistent enough to find his footing in the NFL. He is fighting to keep his career alive, and a workout in Pittsburgh could be a step in the right direction. Steelers Could Add Quality Depth By Signing Isaiah Simmons If Simmons were to sign in Pittsburgh, it would probably begin with him on the practice squad. He could get elevated if injuries occur, but there is no reason to believe that he would be a major contributor for the Steelers defense in 2025. He has versatility which is something Pittsburgh always appreciates, and his experience playing both linebacker and safety would make him a prime candidate to be on the field on obvious passing downs. If Pittsburgh can find a way to unlock the first-round talent that Simmons once had, this would be a great move. But it is hard to look at this as anything more than adding some depth to a defense that has been beat up so far during the 2025 season. The Steelers could also continue their research into former first round picks by taking a look at recently-released wide receiver Treylon Burks.
Browns Announce Myles Garrett News Ahead of Steelers Game
The Cleveland Browns are 1-4 on the season and just underwent a big change after they traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, ahead of their Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they are facing some issues with their roster. On Wednesday, the Browns released their injury/participation report for their latest practice. One player (Shelby Harris) did not participate due to rest, while nine had limited participation due to various reasons. Among the players who were limited was Cleveland defensive star Myles Garrett, who is still nursing a nagging ankle injury. It's worth noting that Garrett missed a practice and was limited in two leading up to their Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings. With that said, there were concerns about his availability for the contest. The good news is that Garrett was able to play, recording three tackles in the 21-17 Cleveland loss. Sure enough, Garrett's condition will be worth monitoring heading into the showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Garrett's defense remains a big weapon on a Browns team that is still figuring out its offense and quarterback of the future. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year already has 21 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight QB hits and four sacks. Even Rodgers himself admitted that the Steelers are wary of Garrett, whom he described as "one of the few players in the league" that "you game plan for and you watch the film," per 93.7 The Fan. The Browns really need Garrett to be at 100% if they want to beat the Steelers in Week 6. If he continues to be bothered by his ankle injury, it could spell trouble for the team once again. Cleveland plays Pittsburgh on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Young Bucks guard gets glowing endorsement from Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ryan Rollins is just 23 years old, with less than 1,000 minutes of action on an NBA floor, but he is slated to be a major part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ backcourt this season. Splitting time between the one and two, playing lockdown defense while tasked with growing as a playmaker, he has a lot on his shoulders. Doc Rivers has already said how excited he is to see what Rollins can do. Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo has signed his own name to the Rollins’ hype train, a major vote of confidence for the young Toledo alum. Rollins has already made major strides from last season Coming out of the unheralded Toledo basketball program as the 44th pick in 2022 is part of Rollins’ underdog story. He broke his foot as a rookie in Golden State and saw his first real chance last year for the Bucks. He made the most of it, starting 19 games and going from a two-way to a standard contract by season’s end. He did all of it playing through a shoulder injury. In free agency, the Bucks gave him a deal for three years and $12 million. The head coach, the front office, and the face of the franchise are all behind Rollins in staunch support. In Giannis’s media availability Wednesday, reporters asked him for his thoughts on his teammate. “I love, I love, I love Ryan Rollins. He’s improved a lot this year. His confidence is at an all-time high right now. That’s the first thing I noticed. Playing with great pace, able to get downhill, makes incredible reads either for himself or the way he creates for open threes,” Giannis said. “Defensively he’s always solid, always going to get his hands into the ball, always going to his hands very, very well. He’s a great rebounder. He’s definitely taken a step from last year.” Rollins proved last year that he can hit open looks and play excellent defense. He has shown glimpses as a creator, but that is the area in which he has the most room to grow, particularly as a member of the point guard rotation. Hearing Giannis gush over his aggression and decision making is almost too much to take for Bucks fans already high on Rollins as a breakout candidate. Rollins has a real shot to break the starting unit at some point this season. That could be at point guard if Kevin Porter Jr. starts slow, or at the two if Rivers decides to use AJ Green or Gary Trent Jr. off the bench while using the other as a small-ball three. However the Bucks deploy Rollins, Antetokounmpo’s praise should only pique fan enthusiasm more. “I’m excited,” Giannis added. “I don’t know if he’s going to be in the starting lineup or come off the bench, but he’s definitely going to be a big piece of our team.”
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