SEVY SLINGIN’ IN THE RAIN!
After the delay, Luis grinds out win
IF THIS is what Luis Severino does when he’s off his game, the Yankees must be salivating at what he’ll do when he’s back in top form. Both Severino and Aaron Boone agreed that Severino didn’t have his best stuff Sunday after a two-hour, 45-minute rain delay for first pitch. Despite that, the Yankees’ ace turned in another strong performance in a 6-2 victory over the Athletics at the Stadium, allowing just one run in six innings. He struck out seven while surrendering five
hits and two walks and lowered his ERA to 2.14, which moves him ahead of Chris Sale for the fifth-best ERA in the American League. Severino’s six wins are tied for the AL lead.
“Talk about grinding through it,” Boone said. “I didn’t think he had his best stuff (Sunday), and it’s just a tribute to the kind of pitcher he is to be able to go six innings with just the one run. I thought the A’s really made him work. They fouled off a ton of pitches against him, so it really drove up that pitch count. He never had an easy inning that we’re used to seeing when he’s just cruising.”
Indeed, Severino (6-1) had to work through some trouble in the fourth and fifth innings, and he issued a walk in the first and third. The only blemish on the scoreboard, though, was a Jed Lowrie RBI single in the fifth inning. Khris Davis hit a fly ball to deep center right afterward, but Aaron Hicks caught it on the warning track to end the inning.
He pitched a perfect sixth before being removed at 106 pitches. A 10-pitch at-bat against Matt Olson to begin the sixth likely cost him a shot at coming out for the seventh. All five of the hits he allowed were singles.
Severino said his slider felt off, something he expressed after his previous start. “I have to work more maybe in the bullpen, see what’s going on, maybe release point or something like that,” he said. “I’ll figure it out.”
Quality starts are becoming ho-hum for Severino, who has thrown a quality start in eight of his nine outings this season. Sunday marked the seventh time he allowed two or fewer runs. In his last six starts he’s 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA.
“All-in-all, for not necessarily having his best stuff, to be able to hold them to one run, you love to see that out of your ace.” Boone said. “Proud of his effort on not necessarily his best day. That’s why he’s become a really special pitcher.”