ARLINGTON, Texas _ After missing the first 151 games because of injury, Luis Severino looked surprisingly sharp in his first two starts.
That was not the case Saturday night against the Texas Rangers in his final tune-up for October, though he did recover from a 33-pitch first inning in which he walked three batters and allowed the first runs of his severely truncated season.
The Yankees lost, 9-4, but nothing occurred in Severino's three-inning outing that was disqualifying in terms of his being a legitimate postseason option.
Severino allowed two runs, one hit and four walks in three innings. He was on a pitch count in the range of 80 to 90 but was done in by a first inning in which he struggled to command all three of his pitches. The highlight of his night was a 15-pitch second in which he struck out the side.
In his first two starts, he allowed no runs, five hits and two walks, striking out 13.
"I feel like he's been really sharp and I feel like he's even improved each time out," Aaron Boone said before the game. "And the first two have been a little bit different. Last time (against Toronto), he was facing a stacked lefthanded lineup where he used his changeup a lot. I feel like the shape of the slider's been really good, can probably still even improve more. Feel like the fastball command's been there. Feel like the life on the fastball's been there, so I feel like he's in a good spot here heading into his last regular- season one, and hopefully he can finish on a high note going into the playoffs."
Rougned Odor hit a grand slam off Nestor Cortes Jr. in the Rangers' six-run sixth inning. He also had a two-out, two-run double off Severino in the first. Didi Gregorius had a three-run double with two outs in the ninth for the Yankees, who had scored in the first on Aaron Judge's triple and Brett Gardner's sacrifice fly.
