Yankees' genius Luis Severino plan blew up in their face after one inning
It's worth wondering if the Yankees have any idea what they're doing. Ever.
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It took two batters for the New York Yankees to do something dumb on Wednesday night. It took 1.5 innings for them to appear as if baseball is a foreign subject to them. Let's see if they can dig themselves out of a three-run hole, which 9.5 times out of 10 is insurmountable for this offense.
Before the game, manager Aaron Boone announced Luis Severino would not be the starting pitcher despite it being his turn in the rotation. Ian Hamilton got the nod to start and Severino was expected to be the "bulk" bullpen option.
OK. Progress. Can't start Sevy. He legitimately can't pitch right now.
Then came the top of the first inning. Jake Bauers singled. Aaron Judge singled. And then White Sox starter Mike Clevinger somehow faced the minimum and got out of the inning. Bauers was thrown out going for third on Judge's single (who made that call?) and then Gleyber Torres grounded into a double play.
Then came the Yankees' genius plan of the evening. Severino technically didn't start the game because Boone wanted to "give the Yankees their best chance of winning." Excited to see what was in store to help rectify the situation.
Oh ... it was bring Severino in for the second inning? During which he quickly gave up three runs on three hits? Can someone tell us the difference between "not starting" Luis Severino but then bringing him in for the second inning? How is that a solution to his current woes?
Aaron Boone and the Yankees made the right move today by not starting Luis Severino. It wasn't working. Even though the rotation isn't deep right now, Severino starting wasn't giving the Yankees the best chance of winning. They had to go a different route. Every game matters.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) August 9, 2023
Yankees' genius Luis Severino plan blew up in their face after one inning
Severino has many ongoing problems, but his biggest one at the moment is surviving his first inning of work, which would mean no matter when he's brought into a game, that first frame is going to be a battle for the right-hander.
In theory, if you were going to use Severino in any capacity against any opponent with this logic, wouldn't you wait until you had a lead? Or were trailing by a bunch of runs? Bringing him in during a tie game or a narrow lead/deficit would essentially be waving the white flag.
Severino wasted no time mislocating and surrendering hard contact. A man named Oscar Colas, who has a .542 OPS on the season, destroyed a home run off of him to give the White Sox a 3-0 lead. This was Boone's plan? The front office signed off on this? Or vice versa? The Yankees told the media they were "considering everything" and this was their first choice?
It took four batters and Luis Severino has already allowed three runs.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) August 10, 2023
Yoan Moncada doubled on a fastball that leaked over the inside part of the plate.
Yasmani Grandal lined an RBI single to left field on a hanging slider.
Oscar Colas homered on another hanging slider.
As most fans know, though, the Yankees have no plan, as evidenced by how their last few offseasons transpired. It couldn't have been more obvious after their actions at the trade deadline. There are no creative solutions. There are low-energy "mmmhhhmmms" that are mumbled to sign off on big decisions.
If this was their cutting-edge idea to help Severino get right, then they really might be more vacuous than we could've ever imagined.
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