WEST SACRAMENTO -- Simply put, this is not the Luis Severino that the Athletics were expecting to get over the first half of the 2025 season.
Making his penultimate start before the All-Star break on Saturday night, Severino’s recent rough stretch continued in the A’s 7-2 loss to the Giants at Sutter Health Park. The right-hander allowed five runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
When the A’s signed Severino to a three-year, $67 million deal this offseason – the largest guaranteed contract in franchise history -- they envisioned him performing as the ace of the staff. The one who posted a 3.91 ERA in 182 innings over 31 starts as a workhorse for the Mets in 2024.
Severino has shown flashes of that version, but through 19 starts, he is now 2-10 with a 5.30 ERA. His 64 earned runs in 108 2/3 innings are the second most allowed in the Majors, trailing only Miami’s Sandy Alcantara (67), and his 10 losses are tied for second most in MLB.
“Not good,” Severino said when asked to assess his first half to this point. “I need to be better. I need to be able to go out there and give a quality start for my team.”
The last three starts have been particularly frustrating for Severino. Combining two road outings at Detroit and New York against the Yankees and Saturday’s outing, Severino has allowed 17 earned runs on 17 hits and six walks with seven strikeouts in 13 innings -- an 11.77 ERA.
On Saturday, Severino fell into an early hole, allowing two runs in a first inning that began with a walk and hit-by-pitch to three of his first four batters faced before Willy Adames’ two-out single plated two runs. He allowed another two-out, two-run single to Adames in the third.
"The first inning was kind of the tell,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “He came out and didn’t have command, really. The four-seamer wasn’t a pitch he could utilize, and it really cost him in that inning. The two hit batters, he gets to two outs against Adames. Those two-out hits are momentum-changers. They’re big hits.”
The early deficit was far too big opposite Giants ace Logan Webb, who limited the A’s to two runs across 6 2/3 innings.
"Especially when I’m pitching against a guy like that,” Severino said. “If the team scores two runs, that should be enough for me. I need to be better. I need to get better.”
So, how does Severino turn his season around? It starts with identifying the issue, which both Severino and the A’s are still trying to pinpoint.
“Nothing I can put a finger on,” Severino said. “There’s been one big inning, and then I feel like I just can’t limit the damage in big situations out there. The base hit to Adames in the first inning after making good pitches to [Rafael] Devers and [Jung Hoo] Lee, I feel like I could have been better in that situation.”
From Kotsay’s perspective, Severino’s inability to put hitters away with two strikes and two outs sticks out as a constant theme. That putaway pitch has been lacking, as Severino has recorded three strikeouts or fewer in five of his last seven starts.
“There’s just not that consistency that we know he’s capable of,” Kotsay said. “We’re going to continue to dive into this. Continue to talk to Sevy and figure out a plan that works so that we can get him back in the zone and striking guys out.”
It hasn’t exactly been the strong first impression Severino was hoping to make. The good news is he still has a whole second half to change that narrative. Physically, he also feels like his body is in a good place, with a fastball that maxed out at 98.4 mph on Saturday.
"My level of confidence is good,” Severino said. “I feel healthy, which is the main thing for me. If I feel healthy, I can get better. I just need to keep working on stuff. Baseball is not easy. If it was, anybody could do it. I just need to get better at throwing strikes. … I just need to get better.”