Luis Severino struggles out of bullpen as Yankees lose series to White Sox – The Denver Post

A move to the bullpen proved to be no relief for the Yankees’ Luis Severino.

The right-hander struggled through yet another rough outing in Wednesday night’s 9-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox, surrendering four runs on five hits over two-plus innings.

The Yankees opened the road game with reliever Ian Hamilton, hoping that using Severino out of the bullpen would take pressure off the 29-year-old after back-to-back brutal starts.

But Severino ran into immediate trouble when he entered in a scoreless game to begin the second inning. He allowed three runs in that frame — including two on a 430-foot home run by Oscar Colas — before serving up an RBI double to Yoan Moncada in the third inning.

Severino issued a leadoff walk in the fourth inning and was removed from the game. The two-time All-Star fell to 2-7, while his ERA inflated to 8.06.

“I’m just having the worst year of my life in baseball,” Severino said afterward. “I have to continue. I’m not going to stop here. I’m gonna keep trying to get better.”

Wednesday marked the third consecutive outing in which an opponent jumped on Severino during his first inning of work. He allowed seven runs in the first inning of his July 30 start against the Baltimore Orioles, then gave up three runs in the opening frame against the Houston Astros last Friday.

Manager Aaron Boone had expressed hope using Severino in relief would help him return to form. Following Wednesday’s game, Boone said the team would “discuss all options” involving Severino but acknowledged the Yankees rotation is shorthanded with Carlos Rodón on the injured list and Domingo Germán receiving inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse.

“We’ve got to win, but we’re also having a little problem with enough bodies right now,” Boone said. “We’ve had some guys go down. We’ve got to find a way, and that means unlocking some people that are going through scuffles. If that doesn’t happen on some level, it ain’t happening.”

Giancarlo Stanton delivered the Yankees’ only offense Wednesday with an RBI groundout against Chicago starter Mike Clevinger and a solo home run off reliever Jimmy Lambert. Down three runs in the seventh inning, the Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out but failed to score.

The Yankees’ lineup was without DJ LeMahieu, whose calf didn’t feel “quite right” during his pregame routine, Boone said.

The White Sox scored a run against reliever Keynan Middleton, whom they sent to the Yankees before last week’s trade deadline. Middleton ripped Chicago’s “no rules” culture after arriving in the Bronx. Chicago tacked on four runs in an eighth inning highlighted by Elvis Andrus’ three-run double against reliever Nick Ramirez.

The Yankees (59-56) dropped two of three to the lowly White Sox (47-69) and again fell to 5.5 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. They resume their nine-game road trip Friday night in Miami.

()