Here’s what Luis Severino called himself after latest debacle
BALTIMORE – All the pregame to-do over Aaron Judge's absence from Sunday night's Yankees lineup began fading in the first inning at Camden Yards.
That's when the first place Orioles jumped Luis Severino for seven runs, on the way to a 9-3 win and a weekend series victory.
Leaving the Inner Harbor with a 7.49 ERA across 12 starts this season, Severino articulated how lost he's been in 2023, his free agent walk year.
“Right now, I feel like I am the worst pitcher in the game, no doubt about it,” said Severino. “Nothing that I do is working.”
Teetering on losing his rotation spot, Severino's ineffectiveness remains a huge Yankee issue, along with an inconsistent lineup in need of a boost by Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.
On a night when Dean Kremer started for Baltimore, and couldn't get through five innings, Orioles pitchers registered 18 strikeouts - the most whiffs in one game by a Yankees lineup since April 3, 2019.
“It's motivating just to keep on working,” said Anthony Rizzo softly, after striking out five times. “This game will test you.”
Add to this period the club's caution with Judge's playing time just off the injured list, and an AL East division stacked with contenders seeking trade upgrades…
And you get a worrisome picture of the last place Yankees as they enter an important week, with the Rays and Astros arriving for series in the Bronx.
Managing Aaron Judge’s injury
After collecting three hits – including a homer – in Saturday night's Yankees win, Judge seemed hopeful of talking manager Aaron Boone out of a planned rest from Sunday's lineup.
No such luck.
“Difficult to not have him in there. We don't like that part,'' said Boone.
But it was “not that difficult a decision'' to sit Judge after two straight games – one at designated hitter, one in right field – following an eight-week IL stint due to a torn ligament in his right big toe.
Judge did not have a conventional minor league rehab assignment, so “this was, in essence, going to be his rehab games for us,'' said Boone of Judge's weekend at Camden Yards.
“We've gotten the benefit of Aaron Judge (Friday and Saturday) when maybe normally that would have been done in Somerset or somewhere else.''
The idea of using Judge as Sunday's DH ultimately did not appeal to Boone.
“We talked about it. Just kind of leave it at that,'' Boone said. “I think he understands where he's at, where we're at.''
Since Judge's toe is not 100 percent healed or pain free, Boone and the club's medical staff has concerns about overcompensating for the toe, potentially leading to other injuries.
“You start worrying about the soft tissue stuff,'' Boone said of calf muscles, hamstrings and the like. “I just think we've got to be smart in that regard.''
That said, “he's doing well. Obviously, he's looked really good in the batter's box,'' including a 442-foot go-ahead homer in Saturday's 8-3 win.
Boone said that Judge was available as a pinch-hitter Sunday if necessary, but Severino's outing took care of that.
Luis Severino and Yankees’ rotation picture
The first six Orioles batters reached and scored against Severino, capped by Adam Frazier's three-run homer.
All told, Severino gave up nine runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings.
It's the third time since July 1 that Severino yielded at least seven runs in a start, and he's so lost that “I'm open to suggestions'' on how to fix whatever is going wrong.
Saying that location and execution were issues from his first pitch, Boone wouldn't directly answer a question about Severino's future in the rotation.
Nestor Cortes (rotator cuff strain) is due back from the IL around Aug. 7, and a six-man rotation isn't a likely option, so somebody is coming out of the rotation.
A trade of, say Domingo German or Clarke Schmidt, is one possibility. Barring that, Severino is their most vulnerable starter.
“If that decision comes (to move him out of the rotation), the only thing I can do is try to get better every day,'' said Severino, who feels healthy.
Whether he's tipping pitches or mechanically flawed wasn't clear.
“I won't stop working through whatever's going on,'' said Severino. “But right now I feel like I'm not even contributing to this team.''