Yankees’ Luis Severino ‘works for everything in front’ of Braves tall

MLB

With Zach Braziller

August 14, 2023 | 8:03 pm

ATLANTA — The way Luis Severino sees it, he has nothing to lose Tuesday night.

He is in the worst phase of his career, facing the top lineup in the sport.

External expectations are low.

“Only good things can happen,” the right-hander told The Post before the Yankees opened a three-game series with the NL East-leading Braves at Truist Park on Monday night. “I was really bad this year and they were really good. So only good things can happen, pretty much. They have a very tough lineup. I have to follow my game plan and whatever happens, happens.”

So far it has been a lost season for Severino, a nightmare year in which nothing has gone right.

He’ll start Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone said, against the team that leads MLB in runs scored and features one home run threat after another.

The Yankees used an opener in his last start, but it didn’t solve any of the 29-year-old Severino’s many documented problems.

He was still tagged for four earned runs in two innings by the woeful White Sox.

“It was just very strange, he wasn’t used to it,” Severino said. “They were trying to find ways to make me better, to make me go forward.”

Nothing has worked so far.

Severino will enter his next outing sporting a terrifying 8.06 ERA and 1.88 WHIP.

The Yankees have lost nine of his last 12 starts and he has allowed 18 earned runs over the last 9 ¹/3 innings pitched while walking six and giving up 20 hits.

The Yankees really have no other way to go now that Nestor Cortes is likely out for the season with a rotator cuff strain, Domingo German won’t be back this year after the team placed him on the alcohol restricted list. abuse and Carlos Rodon (hamstring strain) is currently on the injured list.

“I’m working on everything right now. There isn’t just one thing. Important for me, I have to attack the zone, throw strikes,” Severino said. “My goal for [Tuesday] is not to walk. Make pitches, we’ll see what happens. That was the biggest difference this year. I’ve walked too many kids.”

As he looks to find a way out of his offseason slump, Severino has heard from many people, from friends to teammates to recently hired advisor Andy Pettitte.

The biggest take away from all the advice he’s received is to look forward and not back. There is nothing he can do about this difficult year so far.

“Forget everything, numbers are a thing of the past. Just worry about what’s in front of me,” Severino said. “Of course they are good hitters. But I can make good pitches and try to get ahead in the count, we’ll see what happens.

“The good thing is now that I’m healthy, and if I’m healthy, I can keep fighting. That’s the only way I can get better.”