Pirates Change Lineup Against Yankees Star Max Fried

Ryan O'Hearn moves to first base and will stay fifth in the lineup, while left-handed batters in Tyler Callihan and Jacob Gonzalez, who were at first base and shortstop in the first game, respectively, are on the bench.

Third baseman Nick Gonzales, a right-handed batter, also moves up to second in the lineup, while second baseman Brandon Lowe, a left-handed batter, hits seventh, the fifth time he's hit that low in 2026.

Pittsburgh will keep the same outfield in the same batting order spots, with center fielder Jake Mangum leading off, left fielder Bryan Reynolds batting third and right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez hitting fourth.

What Makes Max Fried So Tough?

Fried is a 10-year MLB veteran and is in his second season with the Yankees after signing an eight-year, $218 million contract as a free agent, the biggest contract ever for a southpaw.

He was a two-time All-Star with the Atlanta Braves (2022, 2024) and earned All-MLB First Team honors in 2020 in his eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves, 2017-24.

Fried also won the 2021 World Series with the Braves and has been excellent with the Yankees, earning another All-Star nod last season.

He employs seven pitches in his arsenal, but mostly has six pitches he goes with, featuring his cutter, sinker and four-seam baseball for his higher velocity options and then a curveball, changeup and sweeper for his offspeed choices.

Fried is dominant with his cutter, which his +13 run value on Statcast ranked him as the second-best cutter in baseball last season.

His sinker is also quite impressive, while his changeup and curveball are usually his most effective offspeed offerings.

Fried won't overpower hitters, but his pitch mix and command make him incredibly difficult for batters to get a hold of, ranking amongst the lowest exit velocity and hard-hit rates of any MLB pitchers.

The Pirates have struggled against southpaws all season, but have a chance to win both games of this doubleheader, winning the first game 5-3 in extra innings, and also to take the series too.