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Without an acquired ace and with an injured Kodai Senga, the Mets’ clearest route toward a shutdown, Game 1 starter in the postseason would be for 2024 Luis Severino to morph into 2018 Luis Severino.
On Wednesday, Severino pitched too much like the 2023 version.
On the other side of the trade deadline, in which the Mets brought in Paul Blackburn but not a star such as Blake Snell or Tarik Skubal, Severino did not inspire immediate confidence that the good pitcher he has settled into can grow back into the great pitcher he was years back in The Bronx.
The strong right-hander lasted just three innings in which he let up six runs in an 8-3 loss to the Twins in front of 28,875 at Citi Field, where the Mets finished off a stretch of 13 straight games and couldn’t finish off a series sweep.
After Thursday’s off day will be a 10-day, 10-game, four-city trip that begins Friday in Anaheim.
Blackburn will get the ball for the start of that series and join a rotation that also includes Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana and David Peterson. None holds the upside that Severino’s arm can tap into.
The Mets bet on Severino’s ability and history in giving him a one-year, $13 million pact that has been a bargain. But Severino has been solid, rather than spectacular, and continues to add innings to an arm that might be showing its mileage.
On Wednesday, Severino’s average four-seamer was down nearly 1.5 miles per hour. His slider, which had averaged 86.9 mph this season, dropped to an average of 84.1 mph in 10 uses. The lower velocity translated to worse results, serving up two home runs and six hits while recording just nine outs.
It is possible, of course, that he simply had a poor afternoon in what has been a strong season, and he owned a 2.08 ERA in his three previous outings.
But Severino is up to 123 ⅔ innings after throwing 89 ⅓ in his disastrous 2023 and a total of 120 innings from 2019-22, when he dealt with various injuries.
The Twins scored a first run in the second inning, when Byron Buxton launched a 435-foot bomb into left-center, and teed off against Severino in the third. Minnesota sent eight men to the plate in that frame, including four straight hitters driving in runs.
Trevor Larnach’s RBI single tied the game at 2-2. After Larnach stole second, Max Kepler’s single to right gave the Twins the edge. Royce Lewis’ well-placed double down the third-base line added some cushion, and Matt Wallner’s demolished homer to center bumped the lead to 6-2.
That would be it for Severino, who watched the Mets (57-51) drop just a third game in their past 10 and Tylor Megill (two innings, one run) make his bullpen debut.
A Mets offense that had come alive was mostly put to sleep against Pablo Lopez and the Twins’ bullpen, who combined to give up just six hits (two in garbage time in the ninth).
The Mets’ biggest came off the bat of Mark Vientos, who blasted his 16th home run in just 63 games, a two-run shot that gave the Mets a brief lead in the second inning.
The Mets’ most worrisome at-bat was Brandon Nimmo’s in the sixth inning. The reliable No. 2 hitter drilled a foul ball off his left foot and hobbled around before striking out. He was lifted in the seventh without an immediate health update from the club.
