Yankees keep 'ultimate goal' in sight ahead of matchup vs. White Sox

The New York Yankees are seeing the best of Max Fried as they inch closer to the start of another postseason.

After the Yankees clinched a playoff spot for the eighth time in nine seasons, Fried will be on the mound Wednesday night when New York hosts the Chicago White Sox and attempts to move into a tie for the American League East lead.

The Yankees (89-68) clinched at least a wild-card spot after Aaron Judge scored on Jose Caballero's single in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 3-2 win over the White Sox.

New York holds a three-game lead over the Boston Red Sox for the top AL wild-card spot but also trails Toronto by one game in the division.

The Yankees would need to finish at least one game ahead of the Blue Jays to win the division because they lost eight of the 13 meetings this season, including six of seven in Toronto June 30-July 23 when they fell out of first place.

"Our ultimate goal is to win our division," said Judge, who is on the verge of his fourth 50-homer season. "It's still right there for us. So we're excited about getting in, but we got bigger things ahead of us."

Fried (18-5, 2.92 ERA) leads the major leagues in wins and is 5-0 with a 1.60 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in his past six starts. His hot streak continued when he allowed three hits and no runs and tied a career best by striking out 13 in seven innings during an efficient 87-pitch outing against the host Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. New York won 7-0.

"This is when you want to really hit your stride," Fried said. "Going into the last week or so, we're excited and want to go out there and finish strong, (and) go into the playoffs strong, and for me, personally, wins are a team stat. Can't give my teammates enough credit for putting me in position to get that win."

Fried started this season 10-2 with 1.92 ERA in his first 17 starts before going 3-3 with a 6.80 ERA over his eight starts. The stretch coincided with him developing a blister on his left index finger July 12 against the Cubs and culminated with him allowing seven runs in New York's 12-8 win at St. Louis.

Fried's run began with six scoreless innings in his team's 1-0 loss against Boston on Aug. 22, and he took a no-hitter into the sixth against Washington five days later. He then recorded wins over the Blue Jays and Red Sox ahead of his dominant 87-pitch outing last week.

The left-hander earned a win in his only previous start against the White Sox, allowing three runs on four hits in six innings on Aug. 30, 2019, for Atlanta.

The White Sox (58-99) are on the verge of their third straight 100-loss season. Rookie Colson Montgomery hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning Tuesday for Chicago, which is 1-9 in its past 10 games after winning nine of its previous 11.

The White Sox have fallen by two runs or less in six of their last nine losses.

"You just play such a good game and you're a pitch away from ending it," manager Will Venable said. "Obviously knowing how hard it is to get those last three outs. We weren't able to finish it off."

Left-hander Fraser Ellard (0-2, 4.50 ERA) will begin Wednesday's game as an opener for the White Sox, and it will be his third start. Ellard has a 3.24 ERA in his last eight appearances and will face New York for the first time.

--Field Level Media