Luis Severino seems to be on the upswing with a good performance in the Yankees’ 8-5 victory against the Royals on Sunday in The Bronx. This came while rumors about his possible trade by the Yankees is gathering pace.
A rough performance leading up to the All-Star break made Luis Severino turned to be a nightmare for Yankees fans. This led Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic to predict that the Yankees were looking to trade the All-Star.
However, the Yankees’ right-handed pitcher has made a comeback since then. While not as dominant as his recent outing in the 10-inning, 4-3 loss to the Angels where Luis Severino allowed only six hits and one earned run in six innings, the Dominican pitcher still showed great command and authority against the Kansas City lineup on Sunday. He struck out five batters, issued no walks, and conceded eight hits in 5 ²/₃ innings.
Out of the 100 pitches he delivered, 68 found the strike zone.
The comeback of Luis Severino
Luis Severino gave up two home runs to the Royals, resulting in three runs for the opposition. In the fourth inning, Salvador Perez launched a home run into the second deck in right field, and later in the sixth, Michael Massey’s two-run shot brought the score to 5-3.
The Yankees starter acknowledged that he made a mistake in the last inning, but he felt overall, he was on point throughout the game. Luis Severino mentioned that he was making pitches and hitting his desired spots effectively. Despite the one mistake in the last inning, he still felt very good about his performance. His ERA currently stands at 6.46.
Following Luis Severino’s outing, Ian Hamilton took over on the mound and managed to escape the inning without allowing any runs.
Michael King and Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch for the Yankees, wrapping up the game for the team.
Second win for Severino
It was the second victory of the season for Luis Severino, marking his first win since June 24 when they played against the Rangers.
Manager Aaron Boone expressed his thoughts after the Yankees completed the three-game sweep of the Royals, saying that the Royals took a lot of good at-bats against Luis Severino and hit the ball hard. Boone found it a bit frustrating that the Yankees starter couldn’t finish off the sixth inning on a stronger note, especially with the last hitter. However, Boone acknowledged that Luis Severino’s stuff was good, and he was pleased with his strike-throwing and the fact that he was ahead in counts during the game.
Manager Aaron Boone mentioned that even in the last at-bat of the day, Luis Severino found himself in a leverage count and made a mistake to the batter, resulting in some difficulty. Boone acknowledged that the Royals managed to hit some balls hard off Severino, particularly the left-handed hitters who had some success against him. Additionally, Boone noted that Salvador Perez got a good hit off him. Despite these challenges, Boone felt that Luis Severino threw the ball well overall and provided the team with what they needed during the game.
Luis Severino faced difficulties in the first half of the season as he grappled with a strained right lat that kept him sidelined for the initial month and a half. Throughout the season, he struggled to find his rhythm, and the last few starts leading up to the All-Star break were especially troubling.
Before his initial start of the second half on July 17, Luis Severino held a 6.38 ERA over nine starts. In the two previous starts leading up to the series opener in Anaheim, California, he surrendered an alarming 14 earned runs in a total of 6 ²/₃ innings against the Cardinals and Orioles.
The 29-year-old pitcher admitted that his difficulties have arisen from a combination of mechanical and mental challenges. Luis Severino remarked that in his previous two outings, he managed to locate his pitches well and hit the desired spots. He added that his goal was to pitch deeper into the game to provide the bullpen some relief.
Meanwhile, rumors continue to spread about his impending trade.
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