Sevy finding groove at right time for Yanks

HOUSTON -- The version of Luis Severino on the mound Thursday night resembled the Severino of the 2017-18 seasons, when he made back-to-back All-Star Games and finished third and ninth in AL CY Young voting.

Severino was his vintage self in his sixth quality start of the season, striking out four while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in six innings during the Yankees’ 2-1 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park.

“I think he has been really good,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “I feel he has been really consistent for us, and his stuff has been excellent. To me, he looks like the pitcher -- and maybe even a more polished version of the pitcher that has been wildly successful in this league and in his young career. I feel like we got Sevy back, and that’s been the most encouraging thing.”

It was the second time in a week that the righty had to face the potent offense of the Astros. In his last outing against them on Friday, Severino retired the first 10 batters he faced and did not give up a run in the first five innings. It fell apart in the sixth, when he gave up a three-run homer to Kyle Tucker, which was the only three runs he allowed while going six innings and striking out seven at Yankee Stadium.

The Astros got to Severino earlier in Houston, specifically in the third inning. The 28-year-old loaded the bases after giving up a leadoff double and back-to-back walks. Alex Bregman laced a two-run double with two outs, but Severino was sharp the rest of the way, retiring the last nine batters he faced.

“Like I said before, this is a team that is really good and has good at-bats when they are hitting,” Severino said in Spanish. “A good team in their own stadium is not easy. It was a good pitch [on Bregman’s hit]. He [made] a good swing and the way that left field is close … that will happen. I feel satisfied with the way I pitched, especially against a team we may see in the playoffs.”

Severino has been impressive over the past six weeks, posting a 2.92 ERA while striking out 60 in 49 1/3 innings during his last eight outings. In seven of his last nine starts, he has recorded at least seven strikeouts.

The Dominican pitcher continues to progress in what has been a strong year for him, with a 3.35 ERA in his 14 starts. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of those starts.

The key to his return to form has been health. In the previous three seasons, Severino has tossed a total of just 18 innings (12 in 2019, zero in ‘20 and six in ‘21) due to a combination of injuries, including Tommy John surgery in February '20.

“The only thing that has been holding me back from being the way I was before has been my health,” Severino said. “I have faced a lot of injuries, but thankfully I feel healthy and feel like I am recovering well.”

The only thing that has been missing for Severino is run support. The Yankees have scored 18 runs in his last seven starts, which is a big factor as to why the club has lost five of those games.

The lack of production continued Thursday as the Yankees’ only run was Anthony Rizzo’s homer, which brought their home run tally to 58 in June. It was something that carried over from their four-game series in New York, where they were no-hit one game and struggled to get to the Astros’ starters in the other three.

“They're one of the best teams at keeping you from scoring as there is,” Boone said. “They've done a good job of, for the most part, holding us down and … that's going to happen sometimes against good teams. We'll learn from all this and hopefully gain important information from facing their guys. We got to face all [five] starters. Hopefully, we make good use of the experience we get from facing them.”