Back in power pitcher form, Severino tallies first win since June
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CLEVELAND -- Luis Severino pitched five innings for his first win since June 13 and Shea Langeliers homered and drove in three runs, helping the Athletics secure an 8-2 victory over the Guardians on Saturday night at Progressive Field.
Severino (3-11) snapped a five-start losing streak that was one shy of his longest in the Majors, giving up two runs on three hits. The right-hander struck out three and walked a pair as the A’s ended their eight-game skid in Cleveland.
"It feels really good because it seems like it’s been a while since I had a win,” he said, breaking into a smile. “I was going after hitters, and it’s always good to compete against a good team.”
The Guardians only advanced two runners past second base against Severino -- both on José Ramírez’s two-run homer in the third -- and hit just two balls in the air to the outfield during his 86-pitch outing.
A's manager Mark Kotsay praised Severino for relying on his fastball to keep Cleveland off balance. He reached at least 96.5 mph 22 times, topping out at 97.7 mph in the fourth on a Daniel Schneemann fly to center fielder Denzel Clarke.
There were 280 total pitches in the game, with Severino responsible for 30 of the 33 fastest offerings (those other three belonging to A's reliever Jack Perkins).
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"Luis has got a lot of momentum now because he’s starting to realize he’s more of a power pitcher,” Kotsay said. “It’s the same thing that happened in his last start at home. He threw the ball really well and there could have been a different result.”
The 31-year-old went into the All-Star break on a positive note, striking out a season-high eight against Toronto at Sutter Health Park on July 11. Severino was charged with five runs over 4 2/3 innings, but four were unearned because of an error by Zack Gelof.
"I felt pretty good about the last start, but had a lot of bad luck,” said Severino, who threw the 24 fastest pitches of the game against the Blue Jays and reached 98.8 mph. “Just like today, I was throwing strikes and not running from my fastball.”
The way Severino pitched in Cleveland was what the Athletics expected to see on a regular basis when they signed him to the largest guaranteed contract in franchise history on Dec. 6, a three-year pact that could be worth $67 million.
However, it hasn’t worked out that way.
Severino leads the American League in losses, was tied for the fourth-worst ERA among qualified starters in in the Majors prior to the break at 5.16 and went 0-5 with a 7.94 ERA in five starts between his June 13 win at Kansas City and beating the Guardians on Saturday.
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“We know he’s got really good stuff, so we’re trying to simplify his job by supporting him with our offense,” Langeliers said. “Tonight was nice because we were able to give him a big momentum swing once we took the lead.”
The A's spotted him a three-run lead with three straight doubles and an RBI single in the third, which held up until Langeliers added a two-run homer in the eighth, scoring Nick Kurtz to extend the Athletics’ lead to 5-2. It was his 14th home run of the season.
A three-run ninth inning gave the A’s breathing room, keyed by a two-run homer from Jacob Wilson and a solo shot by Kurtz -- his third extra-base hit of the night.
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Severino appreciated their support, both on the field and in the clubhouse, and looks forward to watching the Athletics’ emerging talents reach the next level over the next several seasons.
"The guys here have so much talent,” he said. “Every time they give me the ball, I give them 100% every time.”