RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesThe Yankees blew a late lead against the Chicago Cubs to even the series following their 5-2 loss on Saturday night.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- In his third start since returning from the IL due to a bone bruise in his left elbow, Max Fried was dominant over 5.1 innings. His only blemish came in the first inning after a leadoff walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong was followed by two wild pitches that sandwiched a groundout that advanced the runner to third base and scored the game’s first run without a hit.
From there, the left-hander didn’t allow a baserunner until Alex Bregman gave the Cubs their first hit with a one-out single in the fourth. However, Fried easily disposed of the next two batters to end the inning unharmed.
-- It was the next half inning that the bottom of the Yankees’ lineup helped their starting pitcher out and got on the board to tie things up.
After two quick outs, Spencer Jones reached base on a fielding error by first baseman Michael Busch . That opening allowed the next batter, Ali Sanchez , to sneak one through the right side for a base hit before Jose Caballero capped the two-out rally with a run-scoring single to right field.
-- Fried worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth and then went back out for the sixth but was removed by manager Aaron Boone after getting the first out of the inning. New York is still raising the left-hander’s pitch count following his injury and he was pulled after 78 pitches (54 strikes).
Fried’s final line: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, which lowered his ERA to 3.12.
-- Angel Chivilli was the first arm out of the bullpen and despite two walks, he was able to get out of the inning.
-- It looked like the Yankees took the momentum in the top of the seventh when the lefty-swinging Jones, who started the rally in the fifth, launched a solo shot against LHP David Peterson to give his team its first lead of the night. The home run was Jones’ fifth of the season as the rookie continues to look more and more comfortable at the plate. He finished 2-for-4.
-- After running themselves out of the inning and being unable to tack on any insurance runs following Jones’ blast, the Yanks’ lead quickly disappeared.
With reliever Fernando Cruz now in the game, the first batter he faced, Nico Hoerner, took him deep for a game-tying solo homer that swung the pendulum back in favor of Chicago.
Two outs later, it looked like Cruz would be able to get out of the inning with just one run allowed, but a walk to pinch-hitter Pedro Ramirez turned over the lineup and brought up Crow-Armstrong. Facing Brent Headrick , Crow-Armstrong tripled on a line drive to right field that Jasson Dominguez had trouble with, allowing the go-ahead run to score, charged to Cruz. Seiya Suzuki followed suit with an RBI single, charged to Headrick, to make it 4-2.
The Cubs added a run in the bottom of the eighth against Yovanny Cruz and the Yanks went quietly in the top of the ninth.
Game MVP: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Crow-Armstrong was everywhere, scoring twice and driving in the game-winning run with his seventh-inning triple.
Highlights
The Yankees string together a rally in the 5th! José Caballero ties the game! pic.twitter.com/T10EpY2nZy
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 2, 2026 What's next
The Yankees and Cubs continue their series at Wrigley Field with a Sunday matinee starting at 2:20 p.m.
RHP Gerrit Cole (4-5, 3.57 ERA) takes on RHP Colin Rea (8-7, 4.67 ERA).
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