Severino looking for ways to bring road warrior mentality back home

SAN FRANCISCO -- Luis Severino has been open about his struggles adjusting to his new home surroundings of Sutter Health Park. On the road, however, the Athletics right-hander remains about as close to unhittable as it gets.

The tale of two seasons for Severino continued, once again bringing out the brilliant version of himself whenever pitching away from West Sacramento. He gave the A’s all he could in Saturday’s 1-0 loss in 10 innings to the Giants at Oracle Park, delivering six scoreless innings before San Francisco walked it off in extras.

The home/road splits continue to be strikingly polarizing for Severino. Through four away games, he has allowed just two earned runs in 25 innings, holding a 0.72 road ERA that ranks second lowest among qualified Major League starters, just slightly behind Max Fried (0.71) of the Yankees.

Most of those road outings have played out similarly. Severino is constantly on the attack, working himself into favorable counts against hitters and missing plenty of barrels. On Saturday, weak contact was the key: the average exit velocity of the 17 balls hit in play by the Giants against Severino was 75.1 mph.

Across his 10-year Major League career, Severino’s 75.1 mph average exit velocity was the lowest he has ever allowed in a game with a minimum of 10 batted balls against him. His previous best mark was 78.1 mph on April 29, 2024. In fact, Saturday’s 75.1 mph mark was the second lowest by any pitcher in the Majors this year (min. 10 batted balls) behind only Astros righty Hunter Brown’s mark of 74.9 mph on April 3.

“Sevy did a great job,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “This was a start we needed out of him. Getting us through six innings and no runs was an outstanding job. He gave us a chance to win the game.”

The much lesser version of Severino has come at home. In six starts at Sutter Health Park, he is 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA and has issued 14 walks with 29 strikeouts across 34 2/3 innings.

“I just need to figure out a way to pitch good at home," said Severino. "I feel like if I only pitch on the road, I’ll be freakin’ Cy Young. But I need to get better at home.”

The discussions about how to address and potentially solve Severino’s home woes have been ongoing. Before Friday’s series opener at Oracle Park, both Kotsay and A’s general manager David Forst kept the details of those conversations vague but said they have been positive.

Following Saturday’s start, Severino said he is strategizing a new home routine that might help. That plan includes throwing his bullpen sessions in between starts off the actual stadium mound to feel more comfortable with the field.

“The main thing is, ‘Stop throwing bad at home,’” Severino said. “That’s the key. If I do that, we’ll stop talking about it."

There’s no question the A’s could use a better version of Severino, and their entire team, at home. Their .583 winning percentage (14-10) on the road entering Saturday was second best in the Majors, while their .381 mark at home (8-13) was second lowest.

Still, despite a four-game losing streak and leaving some tough games on the table like on Saturday, this young A’s squad is hanging tough in the American League West over a quarter into the season, now four games back of first place.

“I’m really happy with our record and the fact that our guys do believe they can go out and compete with anyone,” Forst said on Friday. “I’m impressed overall with how we’ve competed. … I don’t think our guys back down from anyone at this point.”