The New York Yankees enter Monday with a 2-0 lead on the series against the Minnesota Twins, a huge accomplishment and a testament to their quality in the run production department. However, not mentioning their starting pitching performances would be ludicrous, as James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka allowed a combined four runs over 9.2 innings.
Against a home run record-setting team in the Twins, the Yankees have held them in check, for the most part, allowing a few solo shots here and there but disabling them from getting consistent men on base.
Game three of the series for the Yankees will be the most important for a particular reason — that reason being Luis Severino and if he can be a trustworthy option moving forward in the playoffs.
Severino has allowed two earned runs over 12 innings pitched in just three outings this season, which is why manager Aaron Boone has held him back from unleashing his true self. Being cautious with the ace coming off a severe injury is necessary, and his performance in the ALDS will be very telling of his capabilities this postseason.
How can Luis Severino succeed for the New York Yankees?
The postseason is no time for experimenting with pitches, which is why Severino will stick to his strengths. Utilizing his killer slider and changeup will be priorities, but his fastball is his primary pitch. He shouldn’t be afraid to throw his more effective pitchers and taking chances aren’t frowned upon, but the timing and situation have to be right.
So far this season, Severino has seen increases in his changeup percentages over his slider, despite the small sample size. In 2018, he threw his slider 35.9% of the time and changeup just 13.6%. In only three starts, his changeup has jumped to 16%, and slider dropped to 26%. The allocation of other percentages comes in the form of his fastball, which has jumped from 50.5 to 56.6%.
This sample size could indicate an increase in his fastball usage against the Twins. Severino has fantastic accuracy, but using his offspeed pitches should undoubtedly be a part of his gameplan, as Tanaka had great success keeping the Minnesota batters guessing.
Ultimately, if Luis can put up a solid stat-line in game three, the Yankees can feel confident moving forward into the latter portion of the postseason.