NEW YORK – During most of the first half, Yankees left-hander Max Fried was dealing as he replaced Gerrit Cole as the ace of the pitching staff. As late as June 25, Fried had a 1.92 ERA in 17 starts.

But it has been rough going since then, including Sunday’s 7-1 loss to the Astros at Yankee Stadium. Fried has allowed 29 runs (24 earned) in his past 36 innings for a 6.00 ERA.

To be successful against Houston, according to manager Aaron Boone, all Fried had to do was throw strike one. Mission accomplished, but Fried couldn’t put hitters away. That’s why he lasted just five innings, allowed four runs and threw 94 pitches (64 strikes).

Fried’s worst inning might have been his last, when he threw 36 pitches. The big blow came when Fried faced Cam Smith, who was down 0-2 in the count. But

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