Jul 17, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; American League pitcher Luis Severino of the New York Yankees (40) pitches during the second inning in the 2018 MLB All Star Game at Nationals Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: All Star Game
(New York) — Luis Severino is back.
Well, maybe not back, but the right-hander was encouraged with his performance on Tuesday against the Braves.
“I feel happy the way I felt on the mound, the way I competed. I feel like I’m improving,” Severino said after the Yankees’ 5-0 loss at Trust Park. “A lot of swings and misses. I haven’t done that in a long time. This is a great team, this is the best team in the league right now. So just seeing them swing and miss at my fastball and my cutter tonight, it was good to see.”
The Yankees starter went just four innings, allowing five runs (three earned) with five strikeouts, lowering his ERA on the season to a 7.98.
I guess that’s progress, right?
Severino got 12 swing and misses on 41 swings – the most since July 17 start against the Angels, when he recorded 13 whiffs on 53 swings. He averaged 97.9 mph with his fastball, his best velocity this season.
“I tried to focus on just being me and not worry about numbers and what’s the best pitch for the hitter,” Severino said. “That was Sevy out there, trying to compete.”
Manager Aaron Boone also expressed optimism.
“It’s as good of stuff as I’ve seen,” Boone said. “I thought the life was there. It just felt like [he was pitching] with more conviction. … Not a good line, but I think that was a much better Sevy than we’ve seen.”
This is the underlying issues with the Yankees – they are seemingly content with mediocrity.
With Tuesday’s loss the Bombers are now 60-60 on the season and 6.5 games out of the final wild card spot in the American League.
But hey, progress is progress.
